Another Day
by Vitalus
Summary: Post r2. Charles zi Britannia wakes in a cell with no memory of anything past his and Marianne's "death." Every day, a few mysterious storytellers tell him snippets of what has happened to lead him to this point... a story that involves the entire Britannia royal family, the Sword of Akasha, and several people he thought were dead. No yaoi and a few OCs. Rating may increase.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Code Geass or any part of it in any way, shape, or form. If I did, it would never have been half as awesome as it was.

Hope you all enjoy the story!

Chapter One: Stories in a Cell

~~~~~Present Day (Between 5 and 6 years after the Zero Requiem)~~~~~

The once great and powerful emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia, sat alone in his cell– brooding, fuming, and pondering. What had happened to him? Why was he here? Who had taken the throne? How long had he been sitting alone in this cell? Charles recalled no memories beyond the time of his son, Lelouch, stealing his code and turning the unconscious mind of all humanity against him and Marianne. Yet, it seemed there must be something more; something he should remember but couldn't taunted his brain. Charles had fully expected to die after all that had happened at his last memory, but that wasn't the case. He knew he wasn't dead, for he was in neither heaven nor hell. Instead, the deposed emperor sat, silent but seething, in a lonely, lowly prison cell, shut off from the rest of the world.

Walls of cold, hard stone surrounded him on all sides, as well as from the ceiling and the floor. A sturdy, wooden door to the outside world, the only interruption from the harsh stonework, sat on the north wall, taunting him. If he could only pass through it, he might find the outside world again… and answers, answers to all of his daunting questions. But he couldn't pass through the door. He'd tried, but it was barred, and far too strong to break through anyway. So instead of trying, he sat on his prison bed racking his mind. Someone had gone out of their way to make the cell as comfortable as they could. The small, but warm, bed on which he now sat lay nestled against the wall on the east side of the door. In the northwest corner sat a tall, cordless lamp, the only source of dim light in the electricity-free cell. The southwest corner extended out slightly into a restroom.

The focal point of the room, however, lay on the east wall. There sat a wooden chair and large, ornate table. Upon that same table rested a few items of interest: pens, pencils, paper, but most intriguing of all, a few pictures of those rare things in life that once brought him happiness. A younger version of himself and Marianne smiled at him in one frame, as they sat together in Marianne's beautiful garden. A more recent picture showed him toiling within the Sword of Akasha, trying to unravel the mysteries of its activation. In the final frame, he laughed carelessly as rode his horse as a child, a snapshot of one of the precious few joyous moments of his childhood. Only half of that picture rested in its frame. Someone had ripped off the other half– the one containing his twin brother, whose side Charles never left, at least not back then. The old man had half a mind to use the pencils and paper on the table to try and sketch his brother's likeness to fill the frame, but then again, he never wanted to see that treacherous bastard's face again.

Really, now that he thought about it, he never wanted to see almost any face again. Marianne… he absolutely would've killed to see her. Everyone else though… well, he didn't really care about them. One other face popped into his mind, a face he wouldn't mind seeing for a few seconds… just before he shattered his skull or crushed his throat between his enormous hands. That face belonged to his errant son, Lelouch, the one Charles knew in his heart placed him in his current predicament, and for destroying the dream to which he'd devoted over half a century of his life.

Charles inaudibly promised himself proceed from this point with great caution, despite his wrath. If he'd survived, then perhaps Marianne had as well. Was she in a cell here somewhere too – alone, neglected, or worse? That thought stirred him to even greater fury.

The wooden door opened quietly, so quietly Charles almost didn't notice it. Three figures walked into the room, all shrouded by black, hooded cloaks. One of them placed a tray of food onto the table. Another set a few books down. The third sat down in the chair, facing toward the gloomy prisoner. All their hoods dangled past their noses. Charles wouldn't be able to geass them. And with so many, he doubted he'd be able to take them all down.

"Charles zi Britannia," a man's voice echoed from beneath the hood. Charles didn't recognize it.

"Yes, that is my name," he replied curtly. His voice still carried the authority of the Emperor.

"… I'm glad to see that your spirit isn't broken," the cloaked man responded after a brief pause.

"I've been through much worse than this," Charles answered.

"We know," said the figure who'd set down the books. This one had the voice of a boy, a younger boy. Judging by his height and tone, Charles guessed he must be about sixteen, maybe a little older. Still, he didn't know the voice.

"If you know so much about me, then perhaps you'd be so kind as to tell me a little about yourselves," retorted Charles.

"Actually," the figure in the chair spoke again, "we thought we'd tell you a story."

"Ha! Stories are for children," Charles replied indignantly, "I have no interest."

"Oh, I think you'll find interest in this one," said the figure who'd laid down the books again.

"Yes," said the third figure, speaking for the first time, "if you listen, you might learn a few things about why you're here and who we are." As usual, Charles had no clue who this one was, though his voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Charles felt very interested in the story after what the last figure said, but he managed to keep a bored look on his face. "Go on," he said dully.

"It's a very long story," Figure 2 (the one with the books) said, as Charles named him in his brain. "It will probably take several days, if not weeks to finish it."

"Then perhaps you should get started," Charles snapped.

"I was hoping you'd say that," the boy on the chair replied, picking up a pen from the table, and twirling it idly between his long fingers. "We'll start with telling you a little about your son, Lelouch, who took over the throne after your death."

"No surprise there," Charles replied.

"He did not keep it long, however," Figure 1 continued. "During his brief reign, he committed a large number of atrocities. In short, he did all that he could to make the people hate him, including holding the threat of F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads over any who dared oppose him. It seemingly worked too well, for one day, as he paraded his defeated brother, Schneizel, and his sister, Nunnally, before the people, Zero appeared and stabbed Lelouch through the heart."

"How theatrical," replied Charles. "Of course, that imp had already stolen my code, so it didn't kill him."

"No, but the Demon King was nevertheless declared dead to the world. The throne passed to his sister, Nunnally, and for a few brief months, all was at peace, until one fateful day…"

~~~~~Five Years Ago (Author's note, this is the story being told to Charles by his three "guests")~~~~~

Lelouch's eyelids opened to the brilliant sunlight streaming through the window of his tiny cottage. Well, to be more precise, he currently shared the cottage and its surrounding farm acreage with C.C., though he had paid for it with money "borrowed" from his former time as Emperor. A small circle of geass carefully placed on key individuals assured that a sizeable sum of money would go missing at the end of every year from the royal treasury. It would then proceed halfway around the world through dozens of countries and hundreds of accounts until it eventually landed in a private location where Lelouch could pick it up. The amount could easily provide for a small army for a year, but that was hardly his intention. Most of the money went to filling his roommate's endless pizza cravings.

The raven haired teen rolled over to avoid the sunlight and tried to go back to sleep. After a few seconds, the absence of C.C., who usually shared the large bed with him, fully registered in his mind.

Lelouch frowned when he caught the scent of tomato sauce lingering in the air. With a quiet groan, he pulled himself out of the bed and headed toward the living room, where his missing accomplice sat on a couch, watching the television while eating a large slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Please tell me you didn't max out another of my credit cards to get that," muttered the gangly youth.

"Good morning to you too, sleeping beauty," she replied with a smirk.

He was too tired to endure her teasing. "Just answer the question, witch. Did you max out another of my credit cards?"

"Of course not, all of **your **credit cards are already canceled. John Steele, on the other hand, has another one to add to his list." She took another large bite of the greasy delicacy.

Lelouch moaned and said, "C.C.! John Steele is my name now. It is absolutely imperative to my plan that no one knows I survived the Zero Requiem. Nothing can be allowed to jeopardize my new identity if the peace I've established is to last. That includes getting me investigated for bad credit. Frankly, it's too dangerous to continue to have pizzas delivered out here anyway."

"Oh, and how exactly do you plan to stop me from ordering pizza?" asked C.C. with an evil smile.

Lelouch scowled. _I am without any doubt one of the greatest, if not the greatest, strategist in this world. I obliterated my father's Britannia, avenged my mother's murder and the attack on my sister, I overcame my entire family, and I have brought peace to myself and to the world around me for Nunnally's sake. I can do all of those things… and I still don't have a clue how to make C.C. stop ordering pizza. _He permitted himself a chuckle as he thought _Damned witch._ "I'll get back to you on that one, C.C.," he conceded with a wry smile.

"What are you so worried about anyway, my Warlock? Neither of us can die, and no one is looking for you. After all, most of the world thinks you're dead," replied C.C., her mouth stuffed with pizza.

She did have two valid points. Lelouch subconsciously rubbed the code sigil on his neck, where it had appeared shortly after Charles had tried to strangle him. Somehow, he managed to become "blessed" with a code. He hadn't wanted it, and no doubt his father hadn't meant to give it up, but Lelouch had received it just the same. His geass still worked too, sort of. His power waned by the day. In time, he would be able to control its power again even without his contacts, at least for a while, before his gift disappeared altogether. Soon, the code would completely overwrite his geass, as happened to any geass-wielder who obtained a code.

This code offered one significant thing his geass couldn't:  
immortality. Suzaku, dressed as Zero, had stabbed Lelouch through the heart live on national television. After that, naturally, all of the world's population assumed Lelouch dead. All except C.C., that is. The two of them had made another contract following Lelouch's discovery of achieving the code. Since C.C. was also immortal, the two of them would accompany each other on their long journey through life. Now, a fake burial and a couple hundred lies later, they were living out their final contract. Neither of them would ever be alone now.

_It's really not the end of the world if we are discovered,_ Lelouch thought to himself, _Jeremiah knows the truth too. I needed to keep him informed just in case I needed an ally in the future, either in keeping my secret, or in saving the world again from the shadows. I'm sure he wouldn't object to aiding the two of us if our identities are too deeply scrutinized. All the same, I'd hoped his services would never be required. I've done my work well as Zero and would very much prefer to live the rest of my life, or at least a few centuries of it, in peace and quiet._

That cheerful notion would come crashing down quickly if anyone emerged with proof Lelouch had survived. C.C. wasn't all that hard to trace, if one knew how. Just find the town with the greatest pizza demand in the world and follow the delivery guy to the location where the most pizza was consumed. Since C.C. was a well-known cohort of Lelouch's, any one of his old enemies or friends might try to track her down.

"Please, listen to me, **Ingrid,**" Lelouch, referring to her by her pseudonym, "we have got to try to keep a somewhat low profile, at least for a while. Even if no one catches on that I'm not John Steele, I'd prefer not to spend the first few years of my immortal life in a jail cell for failing to pay my credit card bills."

"You worry too much," chided C.C./Ingrid Steele as she picked up another slice of pizza. "Are you going to watch your little sister's news conference?"

"What? Nunnally's giving a news conference? I hadn't heard about this."

"Evidently no one has. It's an emergency news bulletin to be delivered in five minutes."

"Emergency? I died to stop this madness! She shouldn't have to face any 'emergencies,' or if she does, then Suzaku should be able to handle them as Zero, especially with the Black Knights' backup."

"You're forgetting two things. One, no one in the list you've made, nor all of them collectively, are as intelligent as you. What most people might consider a national threat, you'd have likely steered off secretly long before anyone else knew how to react. Two, the world tends toward chaos and disorder. Even with your heroic 'sacrifice,' it was only a matter of time before someone decided to rock the boat."

"Yeah, but it should have lasted far longer than two months! What on earth could've happened?"

"It looks like we're about to find out," said C.C. gesturing to the television screen where Nunnally progressed quietly toward the stage. An entourage of caped, hooded figures followed behind her, all at least five steps behind whoever led them. _Where is Zero? _C.C. and Lelouch thought in unison. Nunnally stopped just before a microphone and looked the world head on, her cloaked followers turning with her, but remaining veiled to the world. Lelouch and C.C. didn't bother to think about them though. They gasped at what they saw as the cameras zoomed in on Nunnally. A crimson tint rimmed her beautiful violet eyes; she was under the influence of geass!

"My loyal subjects, I have called forth this emergency broadcast in order to correct a wrong. It is well known to all of you how the vile Lelouch, the Demon King, dethroned our Emperor, and usurped the throne for himself, surpassing many of his own siblings to do so. After he did this, our world spiraled into a new era of darkness, death, and persecution. Since his death, I've strived to do all I can to remove his sins from this world… But, I ask you this, noble Britannians. Do you not remember our anthem, 'All Hail Britannia'? And what does it speak of concerning our Emperor?"

"NO!" shouted Lelouch, already guessing what was coming.

"This isn't good," murmured C.C., biting off another bit of pizza.

"It… it doesn't even sound like Nunnally," replied Lelouch.

"No doubt because she's under the influence of Geass. Someone else is creating the words emerging from her lips."

On the screen, Nunnally went on, "**His bloodline immortal, pure!** What fools were we all to doubt my father! Behold! I return control of the Holy Britannian Empire to Charles zi Britannia!"

Right on cue, the leader of the caped figures dropped his hood and there, for all the world to see, was the former and reinstated Emperor in the flesh.

The Britannian anthem started to play, and Charles zi Britannia soon began to make a speech of his own, but Lelouch was far too enraged, and terrified, to hear a word he said. Lelouch's brain buzzed with questions. _How did he survive? And how dare he try to interfere with my perfect world!? I worked so hard and did so much for Nunnally! Oh, no, Nunnally, now you're in the gravest peril of your young life, and it's entirely my fault! What am I going to do? What can I do? Damn you, Suzaku, how could you let this happen? Jeremiah, how could you let down my mother's family now?_

C.C. looked at him and said nonchalantly, "We're not going to let this go, of course."

Lelouch looked at her with hardened resolve, "No we're not. But we're going to need help, lots of help. And a plan… I have got to start making a plan!"

Meanwhile, in an unknown location:

"Just as you predicted, my Love," said a young woman to the man beside her.

"Yes… Of course, such an appearance is quite… chaotic. The world will go into an absolute upheaval over this, to say nothing of how the royal family is going to take it. No, this doesn't bode well at all, my Love," the man replied.

"I assume we're going to get involved?" asked a younger girl.

"Of course we are, Rosaline, but we're going to need more help," replied the first girl. "David, my Love, would it be wrong of me to say that I want you to find some more help strategizing from this point on?"

"No, my Abigail, I wouldn't turn down the help for the world. I can't begin to predict how that monster is going to play this game," David replied.

"Great! We get to go kick butt and save the world again!" said a teenage boy somewhere between Rosaline's and Abigail's ages.

"Careful, Adrian, there's even more at stake this time," Rosaline replied. "Besides, big brother, our time for saving the world on our own has passed. The world has gotten older and wiser; the four of us have done neither of the above since the last time. We're going to require… modern assistance. What do you think, big sister?" Rosaline asked, turning to Abigail.

"I think," Abigail said hesitantly, "that Charles zi Britannia, is a very powerful and dangerous man. Such powerful and dangerous men do not gain their positions without making very powerful and dangerous enemies along the way. What say you, dear one?" Abigail asked, turning to a lone figure in the corner, shrouded by shadows, the only one in the room who had yet to speak. "Can I sway you to help us, or at least point out others who can?"

The figure chuckled ominously. "I can and I will help you. After all, I've got my own score to settle with that bastard. I'm also going to see if I can convince a few of those, 'enemies' you mentioned earlier to help us, starting with everyone's least favorite Demon Emperor."

"I will accompany you; my geass is weak, but it should still be strong enough to help you in a bind," said Adrian.

"No, Adrian," David replied. "You stay here with Abigail, me, and the others. Our new friend is skilled in secrecy and light on his feet. You mean well, but I fear you would slow him and his efforts greatly. Rosaline is a far better companion for him on this assignment. Her geass should also be able to help him, and I've no doubt that they will be successful."

"You aren't seriously sending me out with that child!" Rosaline replied indignantly.

"I'm no more a child than you, sorceress. Come on; we have work to do," replied the boy angrily.

~~~~~Present Day~~~~~

Figure 1 stopped speaking and looked at Charles.

"No, I don't remember any of that," the former emperor answered his unspoken question.

"That isn't surprising," said Figure 2. "After all, you did only have a brief role in this part of the story. Rest assured; your role will grow with time."

"Bah! It seems to me that it can only diminish. If what you say is true, then I regained the throne again after I lost it to that arrogant Lelouch. Obviously, I'm not the emperor now," said Charles, gesturing around his cell.

"No, you aren't," said Figure 3. "But you will hear of the current emperor within our story, which will be continued tomorrow." The three turned to walk out of the room. Charles didn't speak to them or try to follow. Figure 3 held back for a moment, turning to look at Charles.

"Bearing in mind that you are a prisoner of war, is there anything that you wish to petition for?"

"Yes, my freedom," replied Charles.

"That's not going to happen," called Figure 2, who peaked his cloaked head back through the door.

"Why exactly are you all here?" asked Charles. "What is it you want with me?"

Figure 3 waved his companions off a short ways, then whispered to Charles, when he was sure they couldn't hear, "Another day, another day, perhaps I am the fool, but still I trust your face."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked the fallen emperor. He saw a familiar crooked smile form on Figure 3's face before he departed the cell, locking it behind him. Charles puzzled on the smile and voice of Figure 3. _Why in the hell does he seem so familiar?_

After the three storytellers travelled a fair distance down the hall, far out of Charles's hearing range, Figure 1 lowered his hood.

"At least he's not hostile," said the unveiled Lelouch.

"That's because he doesn't know what to do," replied Figure 3, removing his hood as well. A fourteen year old boy with green eyes looked to Lelouch as he continued, "As soon as he has enough information to work with, and begins to deduce who we are and all that has happened, then he will make his move."

"I'm glad you can read him so well," replied Rolo, aka Figure 2, as he pulled off his robe and started to remove the contacts they'd all worn on the off chance Charles was able to see their eyes.

"I would be ashamed if I couldn't predict his reactions," said Figure 3, removing his contacts as well, unveiling his true eyes. "After all, I am the one soul he fears," he replied with a dark smile.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello! (cricket sounds) Oh well, I didn't respect too much of a response anyway. After all, I'm a new author here, and this is my first attempt at a fanfiction (which is really scary to me, because if this goes the way I think it will, it's going to be a relatively long story.) Anyway, as I am new to this, I welcome criticism! Flames, however, or reviews that just trash-talk my story for no good reason whatsoever can burn in the fiery pits of the underworld. :) Also, I'm in college. As such, I have a life outside of FanFiction. I will do my best to update quickly, but if I have to choose between updating this story and an exam, you better believe the textbooks will be open and the laptop shut! I'll get back to it as soon as I can.

Now, a few things about the story, I will be doing my best to keep all of the characters involved relatively in character; however, please understand that numerous characters will be undergoing various character changes. Example, a few former bad and good guys are going to be switching sides, for a variety of reasons. Another item of note: death is not binding in this story. You'll meet Exhibit A of that point in the first sentence. So don't go yelling at me for "So and so died in the anime!" I am currently rating this a T due to language and possibly some suggestive content in later chapters. If enough readers or I in general think it appropriate, the rating may increase in the future. Also, yes, this story will incorporate a few OC's unknown to the Code Geass universe. These characters are entirely fictional and come from my own mind. I will strive to keep their roles from overwhelming any of the real Code Geass characters though. The main story is set post R2, and is history during the time of this FanFiction, so I'll be incorporating several time skips. This is basically because instead of just going through another story of a follow up adventure to Lelouch's Zero Requiem, I wanted to do something at least sort of unique and this is what I came up with. If no one likes it, then I'll just delete the story and try again later, but I beg any readers who stumble across this to at least give me a few chapters to try and prove myself. Please? (puppy dog eyes) I understand that it may take a little while to really get moving, but I promise that I'll be doing the best I can. Finally, with limited exceptions that will be shown in the story, this will follow the cannon R1 and R2 plots of the anime "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, everyone, I still don't own Code Geass. If that ever changes, you can expect an r3. :) Now, onto the story!

Chapter 2: Finding help

Charles waited in his cell the next day for the three previous figures to return, the mystery of Figure 3 still looming in his mind. Somehow, he felt certain that he should know that one… Even so, his mind couldn't place him. The last words the cloaked enigma spoke still lingered in the air, "Another day, another day, perhaps I am the fool, but still I trust your face…" _What kind of preposterous riddle is that?_

He found himself surprised that he was looking forward to their visit, not that he really had much to do in prison. He'd read one of the books Figure 2 brought him. It was a bit of a dry read, but then again, it featured Napoleon, one of Charles's favorite historical figures, so he wasn't all that bored. He planned to save the next two books for a little bit, if only to give him something to do. One of them was over Henry the 8th, and the other on Henry's daughter, Elizabeth Tudor. Whoever picked the books knew Charles's favored subject matter well.

The storytellers arrived at what to Charles's best guess must have been midday. He had no way to tell the time for certain.

To his surprise though, three different figures came in this day. All of these were female, from the sound of their voices and the curvatures of their bodies. He recognized none of their voices, though one of them, he had no right to know anyway. Figure 3 today, Rosaline, he bore no memory of. The other two were inexcusable. Figures 1 and 2, Nunnally and Euphemia, respectively, tried their hardest to veil their actions and voices, but to any who knew them, their identities still ought to have been obvious.

Again, the strange cloaked figures came bearing gifts. The first brought a box of art supplies. The second brought in a clock. The last came with more food. He could hardly see them for the dimness of the cell. Charles was only beginning to realize just how much he missed the sun, sky, and grass. At least now he could tell what time it was, for all that was worth.

Figure 1 sat down in the chair, head downcast. Figures 2 and 3 stood at her side, as if guarding her.

"Good afternoon, Charles," said Figure 3 (Rosaline) at last.

"Indeed," Charles lied. There would be no good afternoon for him until he got out of here and figured out a few answers to his many questions.

"Where are the other three, the ones who came yesterday?" he asked.

"They will return, in time. There are many storytellers. We all 'take shifts,' if you will," Figure 2 (Euphemia) explained.

"I suppose that you've come to continue the story they were telling yesterday," Charles replied.

"Oh yes," said Figure 2 (Euphemia) brightly, just before biting her tongue slightly, a reminder to herself to keep her optimistic cheer down. It wouldn't do to give Charles any additional hints about her identity. She continued in a more neutral voice, "Let's see, I suppose we should pick up with Lelouch's search for help…"

~~~~~Five Years Ago~~~~~

_This place is an absolute wreck, _Lelouch thought to himself. Jeremiah's orange farm had been all but destroyed, the trees cut down or burned, and pieces of the farmhouse and various debris lying about in the yard. Almost despairing of what he'd find, he entered the farmhouse, or rather, what remained of it. Something had ripped the roof off from it, and knocked down one of the walls. If Lelouch had to fathom a guess, he'd blame knightmares for most of the carnage. Apparently, whoever came here did so without taking any chances.

_Damn it,_ he thought, noticing splatters of blood on a wall nearby, though not enough to be a lethal loss. A few loyal Britannian soldiers' bodies littered the ground.

_Jeremiah and Anya didn't go peacefully._ The state of the house backed that statement up as much as the corpses. Papers lay strewn about everywhere. Bullet holes had destroyed all furniture and windows. Even a few pieces of hand grenades littered the ground. A grandfather clock with a shattered face and a few blood droplets sprinkled on it chimed five thirty.

_Father spent the past two months planning and plotting. While I sat back, enjoying the perfect world I'd built, he'd already started devising how to turn it back into the Britannia I destroyed… _Lelouch seethed in anger as he looked around him at his father's latest betrayal. Before he'd inspected the farmhouse, he'd spent most of the day trying to track down any and all of his old ties, all of which led to dead ends. Geassing a dying soldier in a hospital had revealed some information to Lelouch about his few potential allies. None of his news was good. It appeared that Charles had already captured anyone who could logically be turned to Lelouch's side even before he reclaimed the throne.

"What's this?" he asked aloud, genuinely started by a sudden appearance of order in the disaster zone. It appeared that someone else had been there before him, besides the filth that had stolen away Anya and Jeremiah. Someone had taken the time to erect a small memorial of sorts. Lelouch laughed at the primitivism of it. Two pyramids of oranges stood in the middle of what was once the central room of the house, a note between them.

Picking it up, he scowled at what he read.

**Hello, Lulu,**

**Not happy about the use of your cute, little nickname, are we? Get over it. It's better than putting your true name on here anyway on the off chance someone else finds this. **

**By the way, did you like our little memorial? My associate figured it would grab your attention. He asks you to do him a favor and actually finish the job the next time you set out to achieve world peace. (That's the clean translation anyway. I don't know what you did to tick him off, but he really doesn't like you very much at the moment.)**

**In any case, feel free to continue exploring if you doubt this letter, but I assure you that both Jeremiah and Anya have been captured by our "dearly beloved emperor." (Excuse me while I try not to choke on my [nonexistent] sentimentality. I'd really love to rant about how exceptionally angry that miscreant has made me, but alas, there are only so many hours in a day and you're going to be here to read this at five thirty anyway.)**

**You know, so long as you're here and reading this, why don't I enlighten you on everything we, that is myself and the organization to which I belong, know about your little friends, hmm?**

** Status:**

**Black Knights: Prisoners, all but Kallen confirmed by our sources to be under influence **

**of geass at the moment **

** Knights of the Round: Brainlessly following the Emperor (per usual)**

** Jeremiah: Prisoner, possibly under effect of geass by now**

** Sayoko: captured, geass affectation unknown**

** Anya: Prisoner, possibly under effect of geass by now**

** Nunnally : Prisoner, under effect of geass**

** Carine: Prisoner, geass affectation unknown**

** Odysseus: Prisoner, geass affectation unknown**

** Guinevere: Prisoner, geass affectation unknown**

** Schneizel: with us, ungeassed, except by you (thankfully Zero hasn't endorsed this **

**maniac yet!)**

** Cornelia: with us, miraculously ungeassed**

** Lloyd and Cecil: unknown**

**Lelouch and C.C.: hiding in a local forest with unknown affiliation, but most likely not **

**going to side with the Emperor**

**Wow, that's a bleak little list huh? Everyone you've associated with in the past that you could logically turn to for help in this mess is either captured, with the Fallen Angels (that organization I mentioned earlier), or so deep in hiding not even the Emperor or us could find them. You are going to need some new help this time. My associate and I will meet you later tonight as emissaries with a proposal.**

**See ya later,**

** "Angel of Time"**

**P.S., Notice someone special not on that list? He'll be at our little "meeting" later. Ciao!**

Lelouch shuddered reading the note. All of it confirmed what he'd learned from the soldier. His siblings were all either captured or missing. The Black Knights had mysteriously turned to Charles's side, with the exception of their ace. The Knights of the Round supported this lunacy. Lelouch realized that he was quickly running out of friends, and options. That wasn't the part that scared him most though.

_Meeting… tonight… they know where C.C. and I are! _Forgetting thoughts of further inspection, he dashed out of the farmhouse (stopping a couple of times to catch his breath), clambered into the buggy he'd taken to the farm and steered the horses back toward the cottage as quickly as he could.

"Have you been able to track anyone down?" asked C.C. an hour later as Lelouch came through the door, panting for breath.

"We need to get out of here, now!" said Lelouch, rushing over to grab her.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"We've been discovered, that's what!" he snapped, running over to pack a few essentials. "The Black Knights have decided to support Charles, with the exception of Kallen. I don't know if that includes Zero or not. Most of my siblings are now prisoners of war, with the exception of Schneizel and Cornelia who somehow managed to escape. Nunnally, Odysseus, Carine, and Guinevere are all under my father's power though."

"Carine and Guinevere? I thought they died after the Pen–"

"So did I," Lelouch replied, cutting her off, "though I guess we never really confirmed that. I'm not as worried about the two of them, or Odysseus. They were all rather useless. Nunnally, Suzaku, and the Black Knights could be powerful allies; I have no idea how we could break them out though, assuming they can even be convinced to help me. In the past, I had an army to help me, now here I am trying to release an army, or else raise a new one. I can't do that on my own."

"You are immortal now, as am I. We might be able to get further than you think," C.C. replied, trying to help him pack, realizing now the desperation of their flight. The first thing she stuffed into her suitcase was her precious Cheese-kun.

"Or we could be cooped up in one of V.V.'s old capsules by this time tomorrow. I don't want to be anyone's lab rat, and I refuse to allow you to be."

"What about Jeremiah and Anya?"

"Captured, both of them, I found this at the farmhouse," Lelouch replied, thrusting the note into her hands.

"Did you find out anything else?" asked a despondent Lelouch after she finished reading.

"I'm afraid not. Most people are terrified of what happens now since there's been such a terrific upheaval of power. Besides, to them, the Emperor has just proven himself immortal. How could they be reasonably asked to fight a losing battle?"

"Damn it, Father should have more enemies than this!"

"He does, it's just that most of them are either dead or hate you more than him."

"Not to bust up the pity parade, but could I be of assistance?" asked a new voice.

Lelouch and C.C. spun around to face the intruder and were shocked at what they saw. A young girl stood in their presence, somewhere between ten and twelve years old from the looks of her. She stood at barely five feet tall, with long brown hair dangling past her hips and icy blue eyes. Her pale, milky skin was flawless, with the exception of freckles sprinkled liberally over her nose and cheekbones. Her visage betrayed no emotion, she looked void, cold, empty. She also wore a pair of blue skinny jeans, hiking boots, and a blue t-shirt.

"Who are you?" asked Lelouch in shock, trying to determine what manner of creature could sneak up on them so easily. _She can't have anything to do with that damned note. No one sends a child as an emissary._

"Tsk, tsk, it's against the rules for me to betray my name. You don't want to get me in trouble do you?" She asked waving her finger from side to side.

"Lelouch…" C.C. started, but Lelouch cut her off.

"Whose rules? Why are you here, and how did you find us?"

"So many questions, so little time," said the girl as she yawned in boredom, "You weren't exactly hard to track down. I just asked the local Pizza Hut where they delivered most of their pizzas nowadays."

Lelouch shot C.C. a dirty look before trying to speak again, but the girl seemed to be done listening to his questions. "Look, not that it isn't entertaining to watch you trip and fall all over yourself because a little girl tracked you down and slipped in close enough to kill you without either of you bothering to notice her, but really, I'm on a deadline. I'm standing here as an ambassador of the Fallen Angels. We're essentially a small army with both traditional warriors and a few geass holders. However, we're in need of an ingenious strategist who'd be willing and able to help us overthrow a seemingly immortal Emperor. You're both more than welcome to keep your faith in the Black Knights or your other friends if you'd like, but I don't think they're going to be able to do much from behind jail cells or under the influence of geass. Or you can try to fumble through this on your own, but I don't think you're foolish enough to believe you seriously have a chance if you attempt that," she said with a small, dry smile.

"How many of you survived?" asked C.C.

"I beg your pardon?" asked the little girl with a lifted eyebrow as Lelouch stared at C.C. in confusion.

"Your cold mannerisms, your obvious self-confidence, your skill at sneaking up on people, the cavalier way you mentioned that you could have killed us if you'd wanted, all of them point in one direction, the Geass Directorate. Lelouch and I buried most of you in your precious city, and now you want to help us? I don't bargain with infants who could stab us in the back. Furthermore, I don't know you, and I headed the organization for a while, so you must've been added by the late V.V. Quite frankly, anyone he chose to trust doesn't make it very high on my list of desirable assistance."

"Of course, a child with an obvious geass power," Lelouch stated, "I really should be used to that concept by now."

"It would indeed help you, Lelouch, but I'm afraid you and your precious C.C. have judged me incorrectly. I am not in any way affiliated with V.V. or the Geass Directorate, though I suppose I really should meet the little brat someday. Everyone I meet seems to think we're either the same person or else closely connected," the girl replied.

"He's dead," snarled Lelouch, "and good riddance."

"Oh? Such a pity, to have lost his code so soon. Ah well, back to business."

"Look thanks for the offer, but we neither know you nor trust you," said C.C.

"Furthermore, geass or not, I would much prefer not to drag a child into a hellhole," said Lelouch.

"Oh, I'm no child, Lelouch. I'm far older even than Miss C.C." the girl pulled down the front of her shirt a little, revealing a code sigil at the base of her neck.

"There is no code-bearer older than me," C.C. replied, though her voice was strained.

"Really?" she drawled sarcastically. Lelouch couldn't help picturing the last time someone so eerily similar to this slip of a girl had spoken with that same tone and smirk. The only difference was, V.V. preferred the term "Oh yeah?"

"I can name five code-bearers older than you here and now. One of them is me. Three of the others are part of the Fallen Angels. The last, and definitely the most powerful, has sided with Charles. We are much better at staying hidden than you are, madam, and we don't come out of the shadows without a damned good reason. We're more than capable and willing to help you, if you'll in turn help us."

"You claim you're willing and able? Prove it," said Lelouch.

The girl smiled, a dark, evil thing that reminded them both so much of V.V. that it was truly horrible. "I was hoping you'd say that."

At her words, another small figure, clad entirely in white armor from his helmet to his boots walked in, escorting a masked Zero.

"Lelouch?" asked the vigilante. Suzaku lifted the mask from his head and stared at his former best friend in awe. "I thought I killed you."

"You did," said Lelouch quietly, staring at him as if he were a ghost. Shaking his head to clear away any emotion on his face, he continued, "As the Emperor can testify though, apparently death isn't binding. I'll explain it to you later."

"Well now, this is intriguing. How did you escape, Suzaku?" asked C.C., a slight tint of curiosity in her voice.

"Honestly, I don't know. Nunnally sent for me, but whenever I arrived at the palace, Charles had me taken into custody. After that, I only remember darkness, everything was so, so dark. I think they kept me in some sort of top secret cell underground. I don't know how much time passed before these two came to the cell and blindfolded me. They didn't undo the blindfold until after we were far away from the prison. I don't know anything about how they got me out or why. The girl, Time she calls herself, did tell me that I had been released on behalf of the Fallen Angels. Her buddy over there doesn't speak, at least not to me. But I can tell you that he's a very talented fighter. Some of the guards pursued us here initially. They didn't get far."

"He's **not** my 'buddy,'" snarled Time as she glared at the boy in the white armor, who made no response. "We tried to get Nunnally out too," she went on, turning her attention back to Lelouch, "but a cripple would never have made the entire journey here, and it was hard enough to get Suzaku out. Her security was far higher."

"So it was the two of you, alone, who broke Suzaku out of that place?" asked Lelouch.

"I told you, we're both willing and able to help. Consider Suzaku a gift from the Fallen Angels. If you join us, there will be many, many more to come," Time replied.

"Suppose I wanted to talk about this with someone else," said Lelouch. "Is there any way we could arrange to speak with your leader, to discuss your intentions, how many of you there are, and so on?"

"That can be arranged. You'll need my name and title to get you in. Go to the old train station where you first revealed Zero to the Black Knights. Take the private coach and tell the people inside that Rosaline, the Angel of Time, sent you. You'll have the duration of the train ride to speak with our leader. If you get off of the train with him, then there's no going back for you. You're in until and unless you betray us, which I warn you, you do not want to do," her face took on a menacing tone as she delivered the warning. It vanished before she went on, "Take your witch and Kururugi along if you'd like, and anyone else you might be able to summon. I'm sure with your geass you won't have any trouble talking your way there."

"When should we expect to meet you?" asked C.C.

"Take the noon train, tomorrow. Don't be late," she said with a wink. With that she and her cohort departed. C.C. gave Lelouch a knowing glance, then proceeded to follow them.

"She really doesn't want to do that," Suzaku muttered. "I'm telling you, those kids are far more devious and cunning than they let on, and that girl… she's at least half evil."

Lelouch remembered her smile and shuddered, "I gathered that. What can you tell me about the other one?"

"Not much I'm afraid. I know, or at least, I assume, he's male, because the girl addresses him as such. He apparently gets on her nerves something fierce, and she gets on his. I was surprised they hadn't killed each other by the time they got here. He always wears that helmet, even when he sleeps, and woe to anyone who tries to remove it. I tried to take it off to get a peek at his face when I thought he was asleep and he nearly yanked my arm off. He's very strong and fast for his size, and great at self-defense. I suspect he has a geass too. I never saw him fight, but I heard him take down five armed guards when we were being followed, and yet he had no weapon."

"Suzaku… I know how you feel about ends gained through contemptible means. Can I at least trust you to help me take down the Emperor? Please, you know he's captured Nunnally, and he'll not shed a tear if anything happens to her. This isn't about just Britannia anymore. This upset will throw the whole world into chaos."

"And how exactly do you think I can help? Give me a Knightmare and I can do a lot of things, but how can anyone keep up on this kind of playing field without a geass?"

"Forget about all that for a moment. If you could help me, would you?"

He paused to think for a moment, and finally said, "Yes, I would, not for you though, but for Nunnally, and the world she would have made."

"What do you need?"

"The Lancelot."

"I'll do my best, but right now we're having trouble finding help of that… or really any other nature."

Suzaku sighed, "Now that you mention it, some more help would be nice. I'm not going to be able to do much on my own."

"I'm working on that. We will probably have to join these so-called 'Fallen Angels,' at least for a little while. We're going to need them to release what few allies I have in this world."

"You're also going to need this," said Suzaku, offering the Zero mask. "You're dead, remember?"

"Yes, of course," said Lelouch, taking up the mask. "Is there anything else you want?"

Suzaku paused for a moment, taking on a pensive expression. "I don't **want** it, but I fear I no longer have any choice but to accept it. If we are going to overthrow Charles zi Britannia," his face contorted into a look of utter hate, "I need… geass."

Lelouch was stunned, knowing of his friend's loathing for the power. "You realize that geass comes with a huge price tag attached. When people realize you have those powers… well, you've seen what happens."

"I know that, and I'm not taking the power of kings lightly. Believe me when I say that this is the last thing on earth that I want… but I truly believe that on this battlefield, we need to have as much of an unfair advantage as we can get. After all, we know Charles isn't going to play fair."

"No indeed," said Lelouch, a thoughtful smile on his face. "Very well then, Suzaku Kururugi. You shall be my first contractor."

"I'll be your what?"

"I offer you the power of kings, a geass power that will help you accomplish your greatest dreams. For so long as you possess this power, you shall live a life unlike other men, a life condemned to loneliness and turmoil. In exchange, you must one day grant me my greatest wish, do you accept the terms of this contract?"

"I… accept," Suzaku's vision turned into a colorful, fibrous labyrinth for a little while, but he stood unfazed until his vision returned to normal. "So that's the only signal of receiving a geass. No sudden evil impulses, no superhuman feelings, just a fancy lightshow."

Lelouch laughed, "There should also be some sort of inherent knowledge of how to use your geass, though I don't think you can test that now. Since I have a code, I am immune to all geass activity."

"Is that code responsible for your survival?"

"Yes, the code of immortality consists of three major aspects. One, obviously, its bearer is immortal; while I can die, I will always return to life… eventually. Furthermore, I am immune to diseases and any wounds I receive will heal over time, no matter how grievous. Two, I can give geass contracts to anyone I want, while being immune to geass effects personally, including individuals given geass by a different code-bearer. Three, my code can only be removed when someone has reached a geass power supreme enough to kill me and steal it from my body by direct contact."

"So you had to kill someone with a code to get that power?"

"Yes, C.C. wanted that honor, but my father made a far more… enticing target."

"Wait, if you have Charles's code, how come he's still alive?"

"Damned good question," said Lelouch. "I wish I could answer it."

C.C. felt proud of herself and of her tracking skills. The fugitives were fast, but not as fast as she. She'd already tracked them more than halfway out of the woods surrounding her and Lelouch's cottage. There was no way they could know she was there. They stopped suddenly in a small clearing, so C.C. quickly hid behind a massive oak tree. The boy hidden in the armor whispered something to the girl beside him.

"I suspected as much," she replied, then pointed to C.C.'s hiding place. "Come on out, C.C., we all know you're behind that oak tree."

C.C. liked it better where she was, so she stayed put.

"Ugh, always difficult aren't you?" Rosaline called, "Oh well, I suppose I can respect that. The Angel of Death says 'hi.'"

C.C. froze. "Angel of Death," she whispered. She remembered only one person who could fit that description…

-FLASHBACK-

"Damn you, Lelouch," muttered V.V. as he crawled, so painfully and slowly, toward the thought elevator. His brother was standing nearby, his dear younger brother. "I'm glad… I'm glad you came after all!" cried V.V. in joy as he looked at Charles. His euphoria died quickly upon seeing his brother's face. _I'm wounded. I can barely even crawl, much less stand and put up a fight. I know that look. I'm in huge trouble. Damn, I hope I can bluff my way out of this mess, _he thought.

"There is no stronger bond than that of loyal siblings," V.V. said with a smile, trying, and failing, to draw himself up. _And my oh-so-loyal sibling is deliberating whether to kill me now or later,_ he thought bitterly.

"Tell me, V.V., was it you who sent the assassin after my son, Lelouch?"

_Damn. I'm screwed. _"Yes, and in turn he tried to assassinate me. But I've learned something from all of this: Lelouch is Zero!" he called.

"You lie to me again, elder brother!" roared Charles, as he approached the boy.

_Foolish child,_ thought V.V. as his brother approached. _I could never lie to you. How can you still not see the truth for what it is?_

The Emperor halted his advance as Lelouch appeared in his Knightmare frame. "So you've returned to where it all began, V.V.?" he called.

_Oh wonderful, death by brother or death by nephew…_ V.V. knew one of them would kill him, and the one that did so would claim his code. _Charles… despite everything… you have to live, little brother!_ With a weak smile, V.V. activated the trap that sent Lelouch into the Sword of Akasha. He distinctly heard the words, "Damn it, not again!" before Lelouch vanished.

While his attention was distracted, Charles crept up and stabbed through V.V.'s stomach and claimed his code.

V.V. cried out, more from the pain of betrayal than anything else. He struggled, weakly, against the inevitable. Soon, his code was gone, and Charles abandoned him without another word, gone to the Sword of Akasha. V.V. felt tears and blood run down his face in streams. He was left alone, all alone. So Charles had done it at last. V.V. always knew he would. He'd hoped that maybe… he wouldn't. He'd always had faith in the bond he had with his brother. _Charles… why? Can't you see? I loved you more than anything in this whole world. I loved that witch you called your wife too. I never wanted to kill her._ It did no good to think about things like that, and yet in the end, he couldn't think about much else. He was alone, castaway, unwanted, and unloved by the entire world.

He was also cold, and growing colder. _Of course, I'll only get colder now, _the boy thought miserably. _I'm going to die, here, alone! The directorate is dead too, all of them, except for that traitor, Rolo! I saved his life; I gave him his power. Why did he turn on me? Why did everyone I cared about turn on me? _Another feeling, besides betrayal, settled over him now: fear. What else could he do but wallow in his fear and misery? He had no one and nothing to comfort him. The only one left alive that he truly cared for had abandoned him here to die. And when he did die… surely only hell awaited a monster like what he'd become.

He would've gladly given Charles the code if he'd asked. Of course, V.V. would have preferred not to die in doing so, but still, he'd have gladly surrendered it. That was part of their plan after all… V.V.'s tears continued to pour out. _I love you, Charles. I always have, and I still do. Why can't you love me too? I'm your older brother._

C.C. came then; she saw him where he'd tried to make his last stand, sitting, defeated, on the stairs near the thought elevator. "How long has it been, V.V., since we last saw each other face to face? In the end, I couldn't escape my destiny after all."

"Now, I bear the burden of that destiny," he choked.

"What?" gasped C.C., running to his side. The boy's body slumped down, his strength already nearly gone. He didn't really have the will to live anymore anyway. He had no reason to, except that he didn't want to die, not like this. C.C. looked at the rejected, former favorite love of Charles. V.V.'s dejected face told the whole story better than words ever could.

"Of immortality," he continued, looking wearily at her, the tears still falling freely from his eyes.

"But… how… V.V. are you…?" she couldn't finish, his sad eyes took all words from her mouth.

"So please, Charles," he whispered to the wind. "One day, I hope he'll understand… that I did everything I did, because I'm his elder brother."

"He abandoned you… stole your code…" said C.C., slowly piecing everything together.

"Please," he asked her, his voice weak. "Won't you stay with me until the end… for pity's sake?" C.C. knew he didn't deserve it. She knew that Lelouch needed her. But he had been a dear friend once. She sat down beside him, and took his small, bloodied hands into her own.

"I will stay," she replied.

He could barely keep his eyes open, much less speak, but he smiled a little in gratefulness. C.C. understood. She felt a wave of sympathy for the castoff. He suddenly coughed violently, spewing blood as he did so. She squeezed his hands as she wondered aloud "Why would Charles steal your code now? How could he betray the older brother he loved and admired so much?" _There was only one person who could've driven him to this… one person he loved more. _"V.V., you loved Marianne, didn't you?"

"Yes," he admitted, now fighting for each and every breath.

_Then how could Charles do this to you?_ Wondered C.C.

"It's ok," he said weakly, as if sensing her thoughts, "because… I'm his big brother… If he's done with me… so… be… … it…"

C.C. felt a tear of sympathy falling from her face. "He should never have been done with you. It doesn't make any sense."

C.C. looked into his eyes and realized he didn't understand it either. _Loyal to your brother, even as you're dying, even though Charles murdered you… you still are loyal. You did everything you could to be the perfect big brother… and he killed you for it in the end. Even knowing all you've done… I can't help but pity you. You deserved a better brother, a better ending. Instead, all this world gave you was tragedy. _Those hopeless eyes closed, as V.V. neared the end.

"I will take him," said a voice.

V.V.'s eyes opened barely, and saw to his wonder a pair of golden teal eyes that had once fled from him. Strange, that seemed so long ago… What was she doing here and in that same plain, white dress? She looked exactly like she had that day, was it really such a long time ago? It must've been. Marianne had been there that day too, and Charles. They'd all been together… a united team. Now look where they were: one dead, one dying, one doomed, and all damned. The young woman was a symbol of one of their last days. She wore her golden brown hair down, letting it hang just past her shoulders. Her smooth, white skin still had a few acne marks, though perhaps not quite so many as then. She seemed to tower over him now, as he sat there on the ground, even though he knew she was just five feet and five inches tall.

"Who are you?" C.C. asked the girl, knowing none of V.V.'s thoughts, of course.

"If Lelouch is Zero, then I am Infinity. If you are C.C. and that boy in your care is V.V., then I am A.A. But if we are talking about first names, of which I would dare not utter either of yours without permission, then I am Death."

V.V.'s mind protested, but his body couldn't move and instead of the torrent of obscenities he wanted to shout, there came out only a miserable moan. The girl's eyes looked at him in pity, then gazed back at C.C.

"Please, you must let me take him. The time has come for us to interfere. Things are accelerating too quickly now, and we cannot stand idly by. This much I promise to you both, if it is for V.V. to pass through the gates of death, then I will usher him in no sooner than his natural passing, but I shall make it as bearable as possible. If it is not, then I assure you, he will be no threat to you, Lelouch, or any you care for, not without first going through me. Neither will he be an asset to Charles. I seek only to guide a lost soul."

C.C. looked at her eyes and saw honesty, as did V.V. "Leave him to me, C.C. Your Lelouch needs you," said the woman. C.C. nodded, then rushed into the Sword of Akasha.

The girl walked quietly over and knelt beside V.V., inspecting his wounds. She noticed the tear trails on his face, and gently dried them with the pads of her thumbs. "I am sorry if I hurt you," she whispered as she slowly slid her arms under the boy. "I know it must be painful to move you, but neither of us have any choice." She carefully lifted him up and walked out into the world. V.V. groaned in pain again, but to his body's relief and his mind's rebellion, he was starting to go numb. The girl looked at him and said, "Easy now, little one. One way or another, it will be over soon." She hummed a slow lullaby that put his mind more at ease.

V.V. felt the darkness of either sleep or death coming toward him. He didn't know which it was, but he was too tired and too weak to fight it anymore. Desperately, he summoned the last of his strength and said two words before he drifted away, "Thank you." The girl smiled, and continued her lullaby as she walked on toward who-knows-where.

~~~~~ END OF FLASHBACK ~~~~~

C.C. stayed firmly rooted behind her tree thinking frantically over all of these things. _Rosaline… the Angel of Time… whatever she is, she said that she wasn't affiliated with V.V. There was no lie in her eyes or her face… so… that means… he did die. I'm… glad that he had someone, a friend, in the end. We all deserve that much._

Finally, C.C. came out from behind the old oak. "Tell Death… or whatever her real name is, that I said thank you, for helping an old friend, and guiding a lost soul."

Rosaline smiled and said, "I'll pass on the message. You should know that your friend did find peace in the end. I know it's debatable whether or not he deserved it, but Death… well, she likes to think everyone does to some extent."

C.C. nodded and replied, "I suppose for aiding him and Suzaku I owe you all a favor. I'll let you go back wherever you came from without following. It's not much, but it's really all I can promise with the world going upside down at the moment."

"It's enough," said Rosaline. "Thank you, C.C." The pygmy pair disappeared on the wings of the wind. C.C. waited for a little while, then turned back toward her and Lelouch's cabin.

As soon as she walked in and saw Suzaku, she realized something was off.

"You made a contract with him, didn't you?" she asked Lelouch.

"Yes, though we aren't certain what his geass is yet."

"Of course not, there's no real way to test his power here. He'll need to wait until we can get to a more urban setting. The train station tomorrow might be ideal."

"Then may I request we get there early, in case I accidentally blow the tracks up or something?" asked Suzaku, already dreading this.

C.C. laughed, "I've made many, many, many contracts, Suzaku, and I've yet to encounter anyone who can blow something up with the power of their mind, but we will arrive early just the same. I don't want to leave an imprint with your geass that we don't have time to clean up before we meet these so called 'Fallen Angels.'"

"Speaking of them, what of the children, C.C.?" asked Lelouch, "Were you able to track them?"

"No, they disappeared in the woods to the north."

"Very well, then, I've no doubt we'll be seeing them again. I don't know much about that white soldier, but I fear Rosaline. Her resemblance to V.V. in action and appearance is most unsettling."

"I second your opinion, but for that very reason, I'd rather have her on our side then at our back," replied Suzaku.

C.C. pondered over what little she knew of Death, V.V., Rosaline, and the white soldier. _Well, at the very least, these Fallen Angels should prove an interesting crowd…_

~~~~~Present Day~~~~~

Charles was still snarling at them. He'd tried to attack Figure 2 (Euphemia) multiple times whenever she'd brought up his big brother, but they'd always managed to soothe him back into a relative peace. Nunnally's geass was working (secretly of course) for all that it was worth. Her greatest wish, a gentler world, enabled her to calm the heart of any who surrounded her. Despite this, Charles glowered at them. It was perfectly clear he didn't think his brother had deserved any sort of kindness in the end.

"Please," snapped Figure 3 (Rosaline), "it will do you no good to get angry at the story. It is what it is, you can't change it. Besides, you've not even heard all of the beginning yet. You've yet to meet many of the other characters."

"She is right," said Figure 2 (Euphemia), "the story has many twists and turns. You might not like sections of the story, but then again, whoever likes every part of a book?"

"Don't judge the whole story simply because it gives your brother's death a sympathetic snapshot," said Figure 3 (Rosaline) quietly.

"My brother deserved no such sympathy," growled Charles. "Still, I'll wait until your story is done to pass my judgment."

"That is for the best," said Figure 2. "Good evening." She and the others started to depart when Figure 3 remembered something.

"I was told to ask you a question. Do you miss music?"

Charles nearly laughed, "I'm a prisoner, what I miss is the chance to hear music whenever I wish, or to go outside, to speak to my wife… I miss my free will!"

The figure nodded, then they all started to leave again. All that is, except Figure 1 (Nunnally) who'd not spoken a word since they entered. She stared at Charles from behind the relative safety of her hood.

"You're a silent one," said Charles. "Do you have nothing to say at all?"

The figure shivered slightly, or seemed to. It was hard for Charles to see exactly, since the loose cloaks made it hard to judge the figures' movements.

"Another day, another day," the girl finally managed to stammer, "perhaps I am the fool, but still I trust your face."

"I still don't know what that means," said Charles as Figure 1 (Nunnally) walked as quickly as she could out the door.

"Perhaps not yet," said Figure 2 (Euphemia) "but one day, you will." They shut and barred the door behind them, then departed from the cell.

Once outside, Nunnally collapsed weakly into her chair. The poor girl still had difficulty moving without it, though she was slowly gaining the strength to stand and walk short distances on her own. It had been a terrifying gamble to send her in to see her father, but she had insisted.

"He didn't take the part about V.V. well," said Rosaline after they were far enough away.

"No," said Euphemia. "He still carries a lot of hostility in his heart."

"V.V. did kill Mother… well, sort of," said Nunnally. "Of course, Father doesn't know why yet."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay doing this, Nunna? You seem really shaken," said Euphemia, kneeling beside her chair in concern.

"I'll be fine, big sister. It's just… I haven't seen my father in so very long, at least not in his right mind."

Rosaline shook her head and said, "Nunnally, there are three women in this world with hearts so large I'll never understand anything they say or do. Two of them, are you and Euphemia. The other…" her voice trailed off, gaining a tone of sadness.

Euphemia hugged little Rosaline tightly. "Abigail's heart could've put both mine and Nunnally's to shame, Rosaline. Don't doubt your own heart though. After all, you are her little sister, and she wanted you to carry on her legacy."

"Yeah," said Rosaline, a tear falling from her eye. "I know."

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

General: Woohoo! I have reviews! :D Ooooh, I have follows too! Thank you so much! I hope everyone who dropped in is enjoying the story. Like I said in chapter 1, it's my first try, but I'll do my best. If I do anything right or wrong, please let me know in the reviews and I'll try to fix it up. :) I also forgot to mention this last chapter, so I'll say it here, this story will absolutely contain spoilers from throughout the series. It's post r2, so I don't see how it couldn't. Still, you've now been officially warned. Please, drop me some reviews if you visit! I am getting a lot more traffic than I ever dreamed of, but not much of a response in the reviews category. Even if you don't like my fanfic, please at least tell me what I can change to make it better in the future. No flames, but constructive criticism is always welcome. Also, I'm looking for a ideas on what geass to give Suzaku. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm not 100% sold on any of them yet. If you all could give me some ideas in the reviews, I'd really appreciate it!

SkyeElf: I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Let me know about anything in particular you liked/disliked or want me to change. I want to keep you happy with the story.

AvianReader: Thank you soooooooooooo much for your review! Your criticism was much needed and appreciated. :) I'll admit the OC's are giving me a little trouble. I'm trying to walk that perilous line between giving them a character, but keeping it minor enough that they don't start taking over the story as I've noticed tends to happen a lot whenever OC's get involved in fanfics. If I could think of a way to write this without OC's I would, but that just doesn't seem feasable. Hopefully this chapter gave at least two of the OC's a bit better character depth. I'm trying to make Time/Rosaline comperable to V.V. in nature, but slightly more diabolical. Death/Abigail is... very tricky to write. You'll probably see more about what I mean by that in future chapters. As for the other two, David and Adrian, whom you've only met briefly, wait until next chapter to learn more about them. The only major other OC I plan to use in this fic (at least at this point) is the one Rosaline mentioned when talking to Lelouch, the code bearer who has aligned with Charles. That one is going to be an enigma for quite a while. Other OC's may show up, but they'll be lucky to get two or three sentences written about them, and most likely won't be in the main story at all (the five years ago bits).

As for what Charles is being told, the characters are telling him verbatim to the best of their memory everything that transpired in the "five years ago" gap. For example, as you may have noticed in the last chapter, Lelouch was too shaken to listen to his father's speech on the television. Therefore, it didn't appear in the story because the storyteller (Lelouch) has no memory of it beyond that it happened. If any part of the story is altered for Charles (which I don't think is going to happen, but you never know), I'll try to note that once it jumps back to the present day. Usually, a main character from the snipet of the story Charles is being told will be the one doing the telling. If not, then they will always be in the room to assist if things get too off track.

I know, it's hard to picture Nunnally talking like her father isn't it? :( I figure that there is at least one other person in the series, however, who might manage to get her to act like that. I'll give you a hint: recall that Charles is inexplicably alive even though Lelouch has his code. It seems death isn't exactly binding at the moment...

All) Eek... just noticed the size of this chapter... It's huge. Sorry about that. I'll try to keep them shorter in the future, but I don't see how to cut this one down, short of putting it in two parts, which I hesitate to do because of the time jumps. That's all I've got, see you next chapter, and don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Of Fallen Angels

Whatever the plan was supposed to be for the next group of mysterious visitors, it didn't work. As usual, three figures in black cloaks all entered Charles's cell around four o' clock in the afternoon. Not per usual, while Figure 1 managed to keep her decorum when she walked in (quite impressive, since she was obviously rather pregnant), the other two… well, they had problems. Figure 2 came in bouncing, literally. There was way too much spring in his steps and a little too much crazy in his voice. Figure 3, in the short time he'd been in Charles's line of vision, had tripped over his own feet, flown into the chair, flipped it, and landed with a solid "thunk" on his head.

Charles thought about making his escape now. He was certain he could get to the woman before any of them could react and maybe threaten his way out.

He actually might've tried something like that if he hadn't gotten a good look at the inside of Figure 3's cloak during his mishap. A pair of pistols rested in holsters on his hips, with ammunition stuffed into the belt. Across his chest he'd strapped two daggers in an X shape. A grenade rolled around on the floor from where it had been knocked out of the walking weapons arsenal. Charles didn't want to think about what other weapons Figure 3 or his shadowy accomplices might be holding.

Charles had a bad feeling about this… not that he'd be attacked, there was already plenty of opportunity for that, which thus far had not come to fruition. He shuddered at the thought of so many weapons entrusted to an obvious klutz though.

His bad feelings grew worse when Figure 2 jokingly (Charles hoped!) chimed, "Hello, Little Charlie!"

"DEAR!" gasped Figure 1 as she gave him a sharp pinch.

"Did I say something wrong?" Figure 2 asked. He withered under whatever death glance the woman shot at him from beneath her hood.

Figure 3 laughed at the scene as he picked himself up off the floor.

Charles pointed at Figure 1 and said, "Cecile Croomy," then pointed at Figure 2, "Lloyd Asplund," then pointed at Figure 3 and finished, "Psychopath."

"No, not me!" Figure 3 (Adrian) gasped, dusting himself off. "Really, I'm fine now, all fine. I've just got this really bad affliction and I think my geass has something to do with it and…"

"ADRIAN!" said Cecil.

"She's going to make us use the filters again," groaned Lloyd as he begrudgingly put his hand over his mouth.

"It's easier than trying to explain to the two of you what you can and can't say," Cecil groaned.

Adrian sullenly put his hand over his mouth; his filter was in place.

_Why in the hell did I agree to this?_ Cecil thought as she raised a hand to massage her temple._ Lelouch was absolutely right; sending in these two together was an absolutely horrible idea._

"Look, why don't we start the story? That's why we're here anyway," said Cecile.

"Question first," said Lloyd, removing his hand from his mouth, "since he knows who I am, can I go ahead and eat this pudding?"

"Only if you share!" insisted Cecile.

"Yay, that leaves me to tell the story!" said Adrian with a laugh as he pulled his hand away.

"Heaven, hell, or anyone in between, save me," muttered Charles under his breath as Adrian began…

~~~~~Five years ago~~~~~

"It's eleven a.m.," said Lelouch. His disguise was rather elaborate. He wore a black top hat, brown wig, green contacts, black suit, and carried a large, black briefcase with his Zero suit stuffed inside.

"I hope we'll have enough time to fix whatever happens…" said Suzaku uncertainly. He also wore a disguise, consisting of a pair of glasses, blue contacts, a blond wig, and a pair of blue pants with a white, long-sleeved shirt.

"Already having second thoughts?" asked C.C. "That doesn't bode well." The only part of her they could convince to disguise was her hair, and it was just tucked under a hat. She wore a sleeveless, knee-length red dress with a black corset and boots.

"It's not that… I just… am afraid that I might accidentally hurt someone," Suzaku explained.

"Well, like I said last night, you should intuitively have some sort of feeling what you are supposed to do, just go with your instinct," said Lelouch.

"Ok…" Suzaku closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

"Amy!" a woman's voice rose frantically above the crowd. "Amy, where are you?"

Suzaku opened his eyes and was stunned to see the world around him in a new light. **(Author's note: FULL CREDIT GOES TO AVIANREADER FOR THE IDEA OF THIS GEASS! This is a much better idea than what I'd originally come up with!)** He could literally see all of his surroundings, even around the people blocking his line of sight. Items in his line of vision were transparent. He could tell that they were there, but he could also see through their faded figures. He could also "see" behind and around his line of vision. Essentially, he had a complete three-dimensional image of his entire surroundings.

Using this strange gift, he noticed a young girl hiding in terror behind some shipping crates. "Mommy!" she called desperately, only to be drowned out by the voices of the crowd. Suzaku nimbly darted through the crowd, easily making his way to the woman desperately combing the station to find her daughter.

"Follow me," Suzaku assured her, "I think I know where she is."

Leading the woman over to the shipping crates, Suzaku noticed the terrified little girl peek out and sniffle, "Mommy?"

"Amy!" cried the mother as she rushed over to the little girl. "Don't you ever wander away like that, do you hear me?"

"Yes, mommy," the little girl replied, clinging desperately to her mom.

"Thank you, sir," the woman replied, looking up to Suzaku, "Thank you so very much."

"No problem," said Suzaku as he looked down at the little girl.

"Tank vou," she said smiling up at him with two missing front teeth.

He laughed a little as the two walked away.

"Typical, Suzaku," said Lelouch as he walked up behind his friend, "always too busy trying to help everyone else to pay attention to what you need."

"Calm yourself, Lelouch. The sigil is still in his eye; he's using his geass," said C.C.

Suzaku's head started to hurt from all of the competing imagery, so he turned his geass off.

"Yes, I was using it. It seems it can give me a sort of 3D image of all my surroundings," explained Suzaku. "I can even see things behind me and that would otherwise be blocked by different objects or people."

"The Ward of Infinite Perception," replied C.C. with a nod. "The reason you could see everything here so well, Suzaku, is because your mind combined the mental images that all of the people here were seeing. Whatever was in their line of vision, your mind applied it to your own mental image of this place."

"So then, the more people that there are looking around, the better I'll be able to… see?"

"People or animals for that matter," said C.C. "Any creature capable of seeing its environment and making a picture of it in their mind should be serviceable to your geass."

"That could prove quite useful on the battlefield," stated Lelouch. "Many of my so-called 'miracles,' had a great deal to do with taking advantage of my surroundings. Before we discuss that further though, I think we need to catch a train."

The train pulled into the station just as Lelouch finished speaking. Quickly, the trio headed toward the private coach. An armed guard stopped them as they approached and asked for their clearance. Lelouch geassed him into letting them pass. When they entered, they found only a young man slightly older than Lelouch sitting across from them. He cavalierly pointed an automatic rifle in their direction and said, "I'd really hate to have to use this thing, so I sincerely hope that you all are who I think you are."

"Rosaline, the Angel of Time, told us to come here to meet the leader of the Fallen Angels," said Lelouch.

"Ah, so you are Lelouch then, and these must be friends of yours. That's a relief," said the boy, setting the gun down on the seat beside him. He was around Lelouch's height, maybe half an inch or so shorter, with brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was Caucasian, but with a much deeper tan than most, especially in the early spring months. He wore a reddish-orange t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans with tennis shoes.

"So you are the leader of the Fallen Angels?" asked C.C.

"Indeed," said the man opposite her.

"Wait…" Suzaku said, taking a closer look at the self-proclaimed leader. "I've seen you before… in Lloyd's lab…"

~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~

Shortly after the Black Rebellion's Failure

Lloyd Asplund toyed with Cecile-and-Suzaku-didn't-want-to-know-what on the Lancelot. He'd been in the repair room with his brainchild since before they arrived to work at 6:00 a.m. When Cecile (against her better judgment) asked him what the heck he was working on, he replied, "Just tinkering a bit with the firing system; seems to me it could be a little more efficient…"

"Wonderful… he's working on a gun… this place is going to be destroyed by the end of the day," said Cecile to Suzaku.

"Yeah, but maybe that means you can finish that project you've been working on. I'll stand guard against Lloyd again," Suzaku replied.

_Oh yes… That project._ Cecile thought with a shudder. V.V. had stopped in a few weeks ago with a discreet project for Cecile's eyes only. When she thought back to that meeting it seemed so… odd… even for one of V.V.'s projects. Working directly under the emperor unfortunately also meant that she was privy to one of the royal family's greatest secrets: the existence of V.V. As such, she (and she alone) usually worked on many of V.V.'s scientific quandaries. Lloyd had been deliberately kept **out** of that need to know circle. The blabbermouth would've let the world know about V.V. in a matter of minutes.

"Who exactly are we doing this for anyway? And what's the big deal about keeping it from Lloyd?" Suzaku asked.

"I believe you are associated with a demon in a child's suit who answers to V.V.?" asked Cecile.

"V.V.? He's the one who led me to Zero… What does he have to do with this?"

"Apparently, he's some sort of close confidant of the emperor, and as such, he can order me to do whatever the hell he wants, including this… bizarre experiment."

"Then shouldn't Lloyd be involved? I mean, no offense, but he is the head scientist."

"Lloyd would be ideal for this; however, he lacks both discretion and common sense. V.V. won't even tell me what exactly it is that I'm working on, but he did warn me that if Lloyd were to get his hands on it, he'd probably accidentally kill half the world population. V.V. assured me that if that happened he'd personally kill the other half in a rage afterwards, starting with me."

"A kid… killing half of the people in the world?"

"You haven't had much dealing with V.V., have you?" asked Cecile.

"No, I've only ever seen him once, when he revealed Zero's identity to me. I had dealings with him in monitoring… a potential threat afterwards, but that was handled exclusively by middlemen."

"Do yourself a favor; keep it that way. I would rather suffer the full fury of the Knights of the Round than V.V. and his underlings."

"Is there any way I can help?"

"NO! I want you as uninvolved as possible, Suzaku. I'm already trapped in this quagmire, I'm not going to drag you or Lloyd down with me. All I ask that you do is keep Lloyd away from the testing room. I doubt if he'll move from his precious toy out there for a while, but all the same…"

"I understand. How close are you  
to completing the experiment?"

"Well, I've finished up all of the equations and gathered the materials, but I never managed to find a time to contact him without gaining Lloyd's notice. He insists on being present for the trail run."

"You should probably get it over with now while you have a chance. At least that way it won't be hanging over your head."

"Yeah… I wish I weren't already dreading this," she replied quietly. "Wait for us near the testing room, please. I want you to stand guard and keep anyone, **especially** Lloyd, out." Suzaku nodded and headed out of the room. Cecile used the company phone and hesitantly dialed a number...

V.V. was at the lab within a few minutes. Quickly, Cecile led him to the testing room and posted Suzaku at the door, begging him to keep Lloyd out, and not to enter at all if he could help it. Suzaku didn't know how he felt about Cecile being cooped up alone in the room with a child that so blatantly terrified her, but he did as she ordered.

Cecile then led V.V. to two vials on the table, each filled with clear liquid. "In theory, if the two are mixed together, it should lead to the reaction you want. I can't promise that, since I haven't tested it yet, of course, but I quadruple checked my work," she said nervously.

"I understand. Well done. Now, let me discuss what is supposed to happen and how I want you to prepare for the reaction," V.V. started.

No sooner had he finished his sentence than the wall started spinning.

"WHAT?" cried Cecile and V.V. in unison.

Lloyd randomly appeared on the other side of the room, having used the spinning wall for access. "Well now, isn't this awkward?" he laughed.

"You put in a secret door to the testing room?" demanded Cecile, her voice cracking in a combination of shock and fear.

"Well, why not? If we're testing something important I might not always want people to know about it," Lloyd said, defending himself.

"Yes, of course," muttered V.V. just loud enough for Cecile to hear, a touch of venom in his voice, "I've often had the same thoughts myself…"

Cecile was about to apologize when the back door opened. Suzaku stood there and said, "I thought so! Lloyd, I need you out here right away; I… I think someone's messing with the Lancelot!"

"WHAT? WHO WOULD DARE TO TOUCH MY INGENIOUS WORK?!" shouted Lloyd as he thoughtlessly slammed his fist onto the nearby table. The jolt caused the two vials to fall off the table and shatter at Cecile's and V.V.'s feet, mixing the contents.

"Oh no!" cried Cecile leaping away for cover.

"Damn it…" groaned V.V. The code sigil on his hand started burning neon red…

"Fascinating," said Lloyd, as a portal began to form in the middle of the room, even brighter than the child's hand.

"What the heck?" gasped Suzaku.

A young man about Suzaku's age dressed in regal robes of white and violet stepped out of the portal. He was startlingly handsome, with chocolate brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a lanky, tanned body. He stood a little over 6 feet tall, nearly as tall as Lelouch, and just barely more muscular.

"RESTRAIN HIM!" shouted V.V. as he and Suzaku ran in to do just that. Cecile quickly ran over to try and help as well, with Lloyd following close behind. Lloyd then slipped on some of the remaining residue on the floor, dragging everyone down to the ground.

"She's here!" the unknown boy cried in joy, then instantly disentangled himself from everyone else and fled out the testing room door.

"Damn it, not again!" moaned V.V., who managed to land at the bottom of the dogpile.

"Lloyd, did it never cross your mind to tell me about that stupid door?" growled Cecile as she stood and started helping the others off the floor.

"Well, apparently I wasn't the only one keeping secrets," Lloyd replied with a shrug. "I mean really, since when do we offer field trips to middle school children?"

"Lloyd, shut up," huffed Cecile as she reached into her pocket for her bottle of Advil and quickly popped two into her mouth.

"Ouch," groaned Suzaku, standing up at last and shaking his head. He offered a hand to the child beneath him and was shocked when he felt the strength of that little hand. When the head rose up, Suzaku immediately sensed what Cecile feared so greatly. Unlike when last they met, when V.V. had seemed so cold and detached, a fury now blazed in his eyes that reminded Suzaku of tales of hell.

"I share your sentiments," the boy said in a voice that chilled Suzaku and Cecile to the core.

"Can I see those?" asked Suzaku, turning to Cecile and holding out his hand for the Advil, hoping to avoid looking at or talking to the monster for the time being.

"Me too?" asked V.V. after Suzaku took a couple. Suzaku passed him the bottle. V.V. took about ten. If anyone was surprised at the dosage, they were smart enough not to say anything.

"Asplund!" called V.V.

"Yes?" replied the scientist.

"Give that girl a raise. She's going to need it to afford her medication and therapy after days like this…" replied V.V. as he trudged angrily out the door.

"I really don't see what the big deal is," said Lloyd, as he pulled a spoon and a cup of pudding from goodness-knows-where and started eating.

Cecile and Suzaku facepalmed.

~~~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~~~

"Yes, you do know me, Suzaku, or at least you've seen me. I was the boy who came out of the portal in that scientist's –Asplund wasn't it?– lab. Anyway, my name will be secret until such point as you decide to join us, but my title is the Angel of Wisdom. You may address me simply as Wisdom if you prefer. I assume you have questions?"

"Yes, I'll start with a semi-personal one," said Lelouch, "Rosaline mentioned that a number of you are ancient code-bearers who've survived in secret for centuries. Why come out of the darkness now, and under the guise of the Fallen Angels?"

"Well, the short story is that there is another code-bearer, one who we've been at odds with for centuries. Our greatest priority is ensuring that that monster isn't released into the world. As a consequence for keeping it hidden, we hid with the creature, trying to hold it back where it could do no harm. Unfortunately… someone found our hiding place and accidentally released the fiend. In its yearning for power, it aligned itself with your father, Charles. The creature has both the power of a code and of a geass together. Its geass doesn't wane with time as yours will, Lelouch. Suffice to say, that this is very bad news for your world. As we've failed to keep the monster put away, we'd like to have a chance to pen it up again."

"How can it bear a code and a geass at once? Shouldn't the geass have long since faded with time?" asked C.C.

"The geasses with which that monster, myself, and one of the other Fallen Angels are associated are not of a nature which you have ever encountered, C.C. The power is awesome and terrifying, as well as easily  
corrupting. Death and I have our own ways of coping with the power, first and foremost being the 'don't use your geass' policy. That fiend has no such reservations."

"Is it completely irredeemable?" asked Suzaku.

"Charles zi Britannia, Marianne vi Britannia, Carine ne Britannia, Guinevere su Britannia, the Geass Directorate, Jeremiah Gottwald, Anya Alstreim, Bismarck Waldstein, Luciano Bradley, that's a small list of people you know who've been corrupted by her power. Do I need to further elaborate on the irredeemable nature of this fiend?"

"Point taken," said Suzaku.

"**Her** power, so we're talking about a woman?" asked Lelouch.

"Yes, a fantastically and enormously evil woman. She has powers similar to and yet far greater than Marianne's used to be. She can project herself into different vessels, but she can also manipulate others' feelings, emotions, and thoughts even when she isn't directly controlling them. The more time she spends with the afflicted individual, the more she affects them. If she is bonded to one of them long enough, she can even influence their actions and words. She can also impact an unlimited number of people like this at once."

"Is she using this power directly on the Emperor? Surely he'd be wary of such power," said Suzaku.

"There is no way to know for sure, I'm afraid. Nevertheless, her alliance with Charles poses a problem for both of us. If you help us recapture the demon, then we will endeavor to help you overthrow Charles."

"Does this woman have a name?" asked C.C.

"Not that I will share. If her name were spread too freely, especially within a certain radius, it would make it far easier for her to track down her enemies."

"How exactly do we defeat her?" C.C. inquired.

"As I said before, we cannot kill her; she's immortal. But, she's also completely insane and yearns for nothing more than to see this whole world under her own domineering thumb. I assure you, if you thought Britannia was bad before, you have no concept of what this creature can do. The only way to stop this madness is to capture her and return her to us. After that, the four original Fallen Angels, that would be those of us with codes, will work together again to keep her sealed for all eternity. Never again must anyone interfere."

"No offense," said Suzaku, "but that sounds like a lousy deal. There are four of you babysitting an evil creature for all eternity? Don't any of the rest of you want a life?"

Wisdom looked down grimly and said, "Of course we do, but we made the choice to give our lives up so that the rest of the world can have their lives. There is no one else who can stop her, and no other way to contain her."

"Maybe there weren't when you went underground, but the world has changed drastically," commented C.C., remembering the container that had been used to hold her captive.

"Trust me, we have investigated other options. As of right now, there are none."

"Your words seem true enough; however, I have neither seen nor heard of a geass so powerful as the sort you describe. I mean no disrespect, but personal experience has taught me to know full well what I'm getting into and who I'm getting into it with in order to avoid getting stabbed in the back. Is there any way you can prove all that you're saying?" asked Lelouch.

Wisdom cocked an eyebrow and looked at C.C. "Do you recall the trap you sprung upon pursuing Nunnally during the Black Rebellion, Lelouch?"

"Yes," replied Lelouch, "it forced me to fragments of C.C.'s past."

"Indeed, C.C. bears a code, so you can rest assured that no geass will work on her. I will feed some of my memories to her in order to verify my claims, if that would appease your doubts."

Lelouch looked at C.C. for confirmation, who nodded in consent then said, "Very well, but I also bear a code. As such, I wish to see these memories as well. That way I can better appreciate what we are dealing with."

"As you wish, I will feed the memories to Suzaku as well afterward, C.C. or you can stand witness to the visions if you like to verify that I'm not using my geass." replied Wisdom, as he touched C.C.'s and Lelouch's foreheads, feeding them his memories. They beheld Wisdom, Rosaline, and two others, a boy named Fate and a woman called Death fighting against a woman with long black hair and eyes of crimson red. Her pale skin, evil eyes, and demonic smile reminded Lelouch of ancient legends of vampires. The woman used her geass to essentially command most of the kingdom in which she and the others lived to follow her as mindless slaves. Only a few protected by the four original Fallen Angels were spared.

The woman's adversaries, mere children compared to her, struggled over and over again to contain her, kill her, or do anything else to stop her. Though Wisdom and the others fought valiantly, it was clear that they could not stop her. Eventually, they came to their last resort. Wisdom and Death sealed themselves into the Sword of Akasha. Rosaline and Fate then killed the woman once again, banishing her for good. Apparently, Wisdom and Death managed to combat her from within the Sword of Akasha, foiling any further attempts of her regeneration in this world.

For reasons C.C. and Lelouch did not know, Rosaline and Fate then sealed themselves within two capsules, identical in nature to the one in which C.C. had formerly been locked. None of the five of them, the four Fallen Angels or their enemy, returned to their world until a few years ago. Wisdom showed them his release from the lab, and then removed his hands from their foreheads. Calmly, he fed Suzaku the same memories, with Lelouch standing in as well, making sure that Wisdom didn't try to geass his friend, or change his story.

"Is that enough proof?" asked Wisdom, after he finished.

"You've certainly proved your point. I understand how you came back, but what of the others?" asked C.C.

"Well, Fate was the first to be released. After being stored in that capsule for over 500 years, an earthquake broke the capsule, releasing him into the world, where he wandered around aimlessly for a while, trying to learn all that had happened since his concealment. After that, Death was accidentally released by the Emperor while he was wracking about in the Sword of Akasha. It required both Death and I's presence to hold our enemy within the Sword of Akasha. Once Death was released, our enemy was no longer bound, and possessed a new host. Of course, I was released by V.V.'s experiment. I won't go into the nature of his experiment, save to say that he obviously didn't know for certain what he was tampering with. Rosaline was the last to be released. When it became apparent that our adversary truly had returned, we released her from her capsule as well. Needless to say, after 500 years spent in limbo, she was a little grumpy. She still is."

"Why would Fate and Rosaline seal themselves in there anyway? You and Death were doing just fine holding her back in the Sword of Akasha. What purpose did it serve?" commented Suzaku.

"Fate's and Rosaline's geasses are normal; that is, they fade with time as the two of them interact with the world due to both of them having received codes. By sealing themselves within those capsules, they were able to halt the dissipation of their geasses. They did so in order to help in the event that our enemy was released once again. Their two geasses were pivotal in her final demise."

"And what geasses exactly do you all possess?" asked Lelouch.

"There is a clue in each of our 'aliases.' Rosaline, or Time, is able to see parts of the future, much like Bismark's geass. The Angel of Fate, whom you've not met yet, has a geass allowing him to significantly manipulate chance. The drawback is that for every time he enhances others luck, he essentially curses his own luck. You'll understand what I mean when you meet him. As for Death and I, I will not reveal the nature of our geasses. Frankly, I do not wish to draw upon anyone the temptation to force us to use them. If we were to activate them, the results would be disastrous for the entire world. Our powers are far beyond comprehension, and almost entirely beyond control."

"It's hard to imagine Death as much of a threat to anyone," said C.C.

"You know her?" asked Lelouch and Suzaku together. C.C. quickly explained the story of how she'd encountered Death during V.V.'s final hours.

Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief, "He's well and truly dead then. That's one less nightmare I have to worry about coming to life in the near future."

Wisdom replied, "I understand that you all have your reasons to be thankful for his demise; however, I respectfully ask that you keep such emotions confidential if you join the Fallen Angels. The Angel of Death is deeply hurt when she finds such a fractured soul she cannot completely heal."

Lelouch scowled, "She shouldn't have wasted her time. Anyone who knew the monster could've told her he was irredeemable."

Wisdom chuckled sadly, "There is no such word in her vocabulary. There are some who refuse to be helped, but no one who is beyond it, not in her mind. You'd understand better if you were to sit down and talk with her for a while. She has helped many far more depraved than your uncle."

"She is very persuasive," C.C. recalled, "and kindhearted as well. I don't think she's much of a fighter though…"

"That depends very greatly upon the situation. The Angel of Death… she has many quirks. For one thing, you could absolutely destroy her body, wreak havoc on her mind, and shatter her heart and dreams, but she'd never retaliate against you. You so much as think about hurting anyone she's chosen to love and protect though, and you'd best prepare to die."

"Ah," laughed Lelouch, "like a mother bear to her cubs."

"Exactly like a mother bear to her cubs," said the Angel of Wisdom with a nod.

"Please, continue discussing some of the soldiers we have at our disposal," said Lelouch, already realizing he desperately wanted to be a part of this. The Angel of the Fate's geass sounded enticing, as did Time's. Both were far too promising allies to pass up, and he was already eager to know about the rest.

"Yes, I particularly want to know about the boy in that suit of armor. What are his gifts, and why is he so secretive?" asked Suzaku.

"He is Rosaline's knight, so to speak, though that comes with its own set of problems. He doesn't say much, but he is just as hardheaded and opinionated as Rosaline, and keeping those two in the same room for long is a formula for disaster. Still, he is unswervingly loyal to her –her to him, not quite so much."

"Unrequited love?" asked C.C.

"Hardly, he acts as he does out of duty, and she is offended at his doing such since his presence implies that she can't handle herself. She disdains being seen as weak in any form, so if anyone has to travel alongside her, she'd prefer it to be an intimidating figure. The boy has promise though. I think he'll be quite intimidating once he's fully grown… It would help if he'd quit growing out of his armor and other clothing though."

"Okay, that explains his connection to Rosaline, but still, why the secrecy for him?" asked Lelouch.

"He has far more secrets than most of the rest of the Fallen Angels. Even when he's completely at ease you'll seldom see him without a hat and mask. You can try to remove them, but I wouldn't advise it if you have any fear of pain or death. Most of his secrets have little relevancy anymore in this time, but they are a part of him, so he prefers to remain as anonymous as possible. He isn't the only one who wears the mask, though he does it most convincingly."

"Does he have a geass?" asked C.C.

"Yes, but he is very new to it. He can obscure different things from people's vision, or hide them altogether. If he focuses hard enough, he can also blind affected individuals for a short time." **(Author's note: I actually did come up with this idea myself, but have since seen the idea for this geass used in various other fanfics; the chief one coming to mind being "The Forgotten Heirs" by Tomas the Betrayer. If one of my readers knows the person who originally came up with this geass, then let me know in an IM or in the reviews, and I'll be happy to give credit to its original creator.) **

"Anyone else of importance?" Lelouch inquired.

"That is most of our power players. We do have a few others, but we've yet to learn the full magnitude of what they may or may not be capable of. Besides, you've already met most of the others, at least briefly."

"What of the Emperor, what does he have at his disposal?" asked Suzaku.

"Besides everything written to Lelouch on that note, we honestly don't know."

"Father has taken my little sister captive; that's the greatest bargaining chip he needs to control me. Can you assure me that if we join your cause, you will get her out, alive?" said Lelouch.

"Of course, but she is hardly the only one we're going to be trying to break out. I should also warn you that of the four original Angels, exactly two of us are capable Knightmare pilots. Fate is not yet an ace, but he's close. Time shows great promise as well, but she's still learning. Death and I are novices at best. Thus, you can rest assured that breaking out people like Kallen Kouzuki for example rate highly on our list of priorities."

Lelouch smiled. "Very well, for now, I trust you, and will extend that trust to your organization. Betray that trust, and I assure you, you will rue the day. I've destroyed the world and rebuilt it once without your help; I can do it again if necessary."

"Then you'll join us?" asked Wisdom with a smile.

"Yes," said Lelouch.

"If he's going to help you, then I suppose I'm joining by default," replied C.C.

"Count me in too," said Suzaku.

"Perfect, and just in time… this is our stop," Wisdom replied.

"The Shinjiku ghetto? But it's been completely destroyed, there's no feasible way you could hold a base of operations here," Suzaku stated in obvious confusion.

"On the contrary, it's the perfect place. Elevens come here spastically all the time to mourn their lost loved ones, so groups of people making their way slowly from point A to point B is hardly unusual. Furthermore, since it is so decimated, it's the last place anyone would expect to find us."

"That sounds logical. And it's fairly close to the Britannian side as well. You're all hiding in plain sight," said Lelouch.

"Precisely," replied Wisdom. He stopped at a street corner, turned to look at them and said, "If you follow me beyond this point, there is no turning back for you. Leaving us without our consent and without swearing to terms of dismissal from the Fallen Angels will result in your immediate demise; that goes for the two of you with codes too. We have many who could use such gifts. Betraying us will get you the same result. Each of the Fallen Angels is sworn to protect each other, so if any of you try to harm any within our circle, regardless of the reason, or if they try to harm any of you, there will be immediate action taken."

"Why go through all this?" asked Suzaku.

"You and Lelouch are officially dead to the world," Wisdom reminded him. "When some of our members realize that your friend is in fact the Demon Emperor, don't you think that a few of our members might be a little pissed off for a moment or ten? And you, you're just as much loathed as him for the time being, since most see you as a traitorous accomplice to Lelouch's scheming."

"Oh… yeah, right," said Suzaku, feeling like an idiot for not having put the pieces together.

"We have others within our complex you might once have viewed as enemies. We fully expect and demand mutual respect, trust, cooperation, and abstinence from violence toward other members in so much as is possible. No exceptions, am I clear?"

"Crystal," replied C.C.

"Good," Wisdom led them on to what appeared to be an old cellar, then led them inside. After a little while spent walking through tunnels and up a staircase, they appeared in what looked to be a strange sort of hotel, fully furnished and outfitted with computers and state of the art technology, but void of people.

"This place used to be a hotel before Japan became Area 11. Once that happened, the people reformatted it into a hospital, and we went on to reform at it again as our base of operations. If it's survived twice already a calamity, then we figure it should have enough luck to last us through as well."

"Um… you mentioned that there would be people here," said C.C.

"We figured it'd be best to break everything to you slowly, including our members. Someone demanded the right to see you immediately, Lelouch."

"Who would…" he was cut off when a door opened and a figure came dashing up to him at faster speeds than should have been possible.

"BIG BROTHER!" cried Rolo as he tackled Lelouch in a hug.

"What?" gasped Suzaku and C.C. in unison. Lelouch was too stunned to speak, but squeezed his little brother tightly in a hug nonetheless.

"Oops, I guess I forgot to mention that. Let's just say that so long as the Enemy is out and about, death isn't exactly binding for either side," replied Wisdom with a hearty laugh.

"You're telling me that the dead can be resurrected?" said C.C. in shock.

"Essentially yes, though it doesn't always work and we tend to use it as an absolute last resort. Time has been losing her geass powers very quickly, so we needed someone else who had the influence of time on his side to help us. We've also managed to remove the condition where his heart stopped if he activated his geass, but he still can't use it for extended periods of time."

"HOW?" asked Lelouch, still staring up at Rolo, who looked happier than he ever had before.

Wisdom smiled. "You mean how did we get Rolo back or how did we heal his heart problem? Either way, I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Even to those within the organization we have secrets. I can tell you that he only agreed to join us on two conditions. One, that we got you here, and two, that we do everything we could to bring back one other friend of yours, someone it seems he felt great remorse over."

With that, Shirley Finnette walked slowly into the room.

"Hey, Lulu," the carrot-top said shyly.

"I hope you aren't mad at me, big brother," said Rolo, trying to form an explanation as Lelouch's face turned ashen with shock. "It's just… I felt wrong. When the others brought me back, I learned all the truth about you and Shirley… and Nunnally too. I… she… well, I don't think she really meant any harm. And I felt so bad about killing someone who meant so much to you. I wanted her to have another chance, like I did."

Lelouch wept and hugged his 'little brother' tightly once again. "I'm not mad at all, Rolo. I'm just so very glad you're both alive, and that you know the truth about everything. I'm sorry I had to lie to you."

"I understand why you did it. You loved me too, but I was never your real brother."

Lelouch smiled and said, "You were Lelouch Lamperouge's brother, and you still are."

C.C. smiled briefly, then turned to Wisdom and said, "Any other surprises?"

"Aren't those enough for one day?" Wisdom asked with a smile. "Like I said, we wanted to break it all to you slowly. We can't resurrect everyone, but we tried to bring back a few people who we thought could help us. The other problem is that when we bring them back, their memories are gone. It took a while to fully restore Rolo, and there are still several gaps in his past we can't account for, but he told us that frankly he'd rather not know."

Rolo nodded and said, "That's right. I know what I was being used for, and that I became a monster. I only ever did what I was told, what I'd been taught was right… Now though… I know better. I don't want to remember all that I did before, and all that V.V. used me for. I'm a person now, not a monster or a machine, and I'd prefer to remember it that way."

Wisdom nodded in understanding. Shirley said, "They had to restore my memories too. I'd forgotten everything, except for your name Lelouch. I'm back now though, but… I… well… the last time…"

Lelouch looked quizzically at her as she struggled to speak. "I… I can't explain it Lelouch. When I came back, I still loved you, but only as a friend. They couldn't restore whatever part of me fell in love with you. Maybe it'll return in time, but for now… I don't like you in that way anymore."

"It's okay, Shirley. Thank you for being honest with me," the boy replied with a smile. "I never deserved your friendship anyway, let alone your love."

"Of course you did!" she cried, her face turning crimson, though from rage or embarrassment the company couldn't tell. "I still remember everything I liked so much about you, even if I don't feel that way anymore! I remember how sweet you were to little Nunnally when she couldn't help herself. I remember you kindly putting up with me as I kept mindlessly embarrassing myself around you. I remember you standing up against, then quickly backing down from Milly whenever she got one of her typical, crazy ideas. I remember your quirky smile, your kind heart, your clever mind… everything. All of the facts are there… I just don't have the emotion."

Suzaku and Lelouch felt their hearts ache for the girl as she stood there on the stairwell. It was clear that she was straining for something… her face contorted slightly and her brows knit together in concentration, but a few seconds later, she sighed and gave up.

"I'm so sorry, Lelouch," she replied, a tear falling from her eye.

Lelouch couldn't answer.

Wisdom shook his head and apologized. "I'm sorry as well; we've truly done everything in our power to restore both of them fully, but there are some gaps that we can't seem to patch."

"The mere fact that you've restored them to life and given them back so much of what they had is amazing in and of itself," replied Suzaku.

"Were there others you meant to introduce to us today," asked C.C. in relative boredom. Apparently, the emotional scene hadn't much interested her.

"Well," Wisdom replied pondering, "I will introduce you to the rest of the original Fallen Angels. I'll start with the most beautiful Ab… … ADRIAN!" the last word sounded like a curse. A boy had appeared at a door just in time to hold it back, keeping it from opening.

"What, you didn't want to start with me, David?" asked the boy. He was a few years younger than Wisdom/David. He also had dark brown hair, but his eyes were a peculiar dark yellow tint with brown flecks. He stood at five feet ten inches tall and wore blue jeans with a huge tear across both knees, socks with holes in them, and a barbeque stained red t shirt. He had a bit of a bedhead and an impish smile that could charm anyone to look past his disheveled appearance. Well, okay, it would've charmed anyone **except** David.

"Go get changed into something without holes or stains, please? We have new recruits. And pretty, pretty please do not come back until after you've had a shower, brushed out your hair, and preferably installed a new brain!" called David. Adrian sorrowfully vanished out of sight.

"Um… is he your son?" asked C.C., confused about the relationship between the boys.

"Worse, he's my brother-in-law. And he's remarkably blessed and cursed at the same time. Let's see here… yep, it's about time for them to be moving that piano, which means…" David did not finish before everyone heard a loud *BANG* and a commotion of sour piano notes.

"Why are people moving a piano?" asked Suzaku.

"To try and make more room upstairs for the newer recruits," David explained. "Adrian is the perfect proof of what you would call Murphy's Law. If there is the slightest chance anything can go wrong around or directly to or because of Adrian, it will. Remember on the train ride I explained that Adrian can manipulate fate? As an unfortunate consequence, for a few hours after using his geass all kinds of preposterous lunacy starts happening to him until the 'karma' of the world gets put back in order again. Essentially, he stops bad luck from befalling others, but at the cost of it coming back to him later on in another form."

"Yeah, it makes him super easy to prank," said Rolo, "which reminds me, he did something to tick off somebody earlier. I remember passing by his door and noticing a lot of firecrackers taped to it…"

"Oh no, Adrian!" called David, too late. The fireworks had already started to go off. The boy cried out, and there was a definite *THUMP* from somewhere outside.

"Oh my word…" said C.C. "Are you sure that's a geass?"

"No way to know for sure, since his geass is a tad… unstable. There aren't words for it, but no matter what the circumstances are, that sort of thing always happens. And yet, he never, ever dies. Granted, he has a code now, but even before that…"

David was interrupted by a door opening. Adrian trudged in with bits of eggshells in his hair and soiled garbage and gunpowder stains on his clothes.

"I hate you people," Adrian snarled, his charming smile replaced by the grumpiest visage any of them had ever seen.

"What happened exactly?" asked Lelouch.

"Fireworks exploding in close proximity to my face made me jump out the window; I've done it a couple thousand times before, and I always turn out alright. This time though, I managed to land in the garbage can in the street. I just had to use my geass this morning…. Sooner or later this bad luck is going to kill me."

As Fate/Adrian started trudging up the stairs, a box came out and thumped him on the head.

"DAMN IT!" cried Fate in agony. "David, I think I'm just going to go back to bed!"

"Go ahead; you obviously are going to need a few hours for your karma to resettle."

The door where the box came from was still standing wide open when a girl came out and apologetically called, "So sorry about that, I was cleaning up my room and didn't realize the door was open; I meant to aim for the trashcan but instead I… Suzaku?"

Suzaku stared up at the girl in awestruck wonder. Tears filled his eyes as he said, "Euphemia?"

"Damn," said David as the two raced toward each other.

~~~~~Present Day~~~~~

Charles felt like dancing for joy whenever the story section ended. Adrian had gone on thirty seven crazy laughing sprees (yes, he'd counted), and Cecile and Lloyd had eaten over forty containers of pudding (he'd tried to count, then gave up somewhere after 42).

"Well," said Adrian at the end, "that's it for today!" He reached over to pick up the grenade he'd dropped earlier and prepared to leave.

"Wait," said Cecile, "One of us has to say the idiom."

"I've got it," chimed Lloyd. "See you Charlie, 'another day, another day, perhaps I am a fool, but still I trust your face.'"

Charles waited until all three of the loony tunes had disappeared out the door before saying, "You're all fools, and I don't trust any of your faces!"

Lloyd shook his head as the trio walked away. "Well, it sounds like we didn't really get through."

"Oh, we got through," said Cecile. "We convinced him we're all a bunch of idiots.

"I think he's making great progress," said Adrian with a goofy smile and a hearty laugh.

"Thirty eight," said Cecile. Charles hadn't been the only one keeping count. "Listen, Angel of Fate, did you ever consider decaf?"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Everyone: I am SO VERY SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! T.T Seriously, I don't know what to say besides that my college apparently decided to play the "lets absolutely screw all of our students" game... I've had so many tests, quizzes, and papers to do the past week, it's not even funny. Luckily, there's a blizzard outside my window right now giving me some much needed time to update. :) I also apologize that there hasn't been a whole lot of action yet. There will probably be about one more chapter of backstory to introduce the last of the "Fallen Angels" and then let the action begin. :D

Also, a few explanations. My basis for claiming that Fate/Adrian and Time/Rosaline not loosing their geasses is based partly on the fact that even when Lelouch had amnesia and did not use his geass for over a year, he did not lose any of his former power, which to me implies that the strengthening/weakening of geass has something to do with its interaction in the outer world, which the two Fallen Angels cut themselves off from. As for the "enemy's" geass as well as David's and Abigail's, yes, they are OP-ed. In the enemy's case, this is to make more interesting battles later on, and to give the story more energy. David's and Abigail's are presented as such basically just so they can have an excuse not to use them very often. Like I've said before, I really don't want my OC's to take over this fanfic.

I'm still not getting a lot of feedback on this story. Please, I write for the pleasure of others. If I just to amuse myself; there would be no reason for me to post this. I'd save it as a word file and be done with it. So please, as this is written with an audience in mind, please review to tell me how I'm doing and what you all do or don't like. I realize it's not nearly as good as some of the others out there. It's just my first attempt. Tell me how to make it better so I can do that in the future. Pretty, pretty please, review! To those of you who have reviewed, favorited, and/or followed my story, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys are the best! :D

AvianReader: Thanks for your input on Suzaku's geass. :) (Did everyone else see that? If not, I'll say it again. His geass was Avian's idea. He/she gets all the credit because they're awesome!)

I'm glad you find the OC's better developed now. :) As for Abigail and Rosaline's behavior in chapter 1 vs. chapter 2, yes, they do act a little differently around their peers than strangers. Also, as I tried to explain in the first chapter through use of the pet names (not my best idea)Abigail, Adrian, and Rosaline are siblings, so they have that weird family aspect thing going on too. David belongs to the group by extention through his marriage to Abigail. As for the white knight, you'll see how he fits in later. He's not an OC, but he now has a strongly different role from the canon, so it should (I hope) be at least a bit challenging to figure out who he is. As for Abigail not telling Rosaline about V.V. passing away, there are many reasons. One, Abigail is OLD. She is the second oldest human being on the planet. As such, nothing is really shocking or breaking news to her. She's seen everything, including the death of "immortals" enough times that it no longer strikes her as important information. If Rosaline directly asked her about V.V., she would no doubt explain it; however, it's not something that would seem any more important for her to explain than what she ate for breakfast that morning. Also, this is Code Geass material we're talking about. Everyone has ulterior motives. Who's to say that just because she's an OC Abigail doesn't have a few of her own?

And yes, this chapter came out long again. It wasn't really intended, but that is what happened.

Back to everyone: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! It's a bit more lighthearted than the others because after rereading some of my previous chapters I thought they were a little heavy, so I figured everyone, including Charles, might appreciate a bit of a breather. If you don't like the change, let me know. Most of the chapters probably will be heavier, but I have no qualms with trying to through in a little humor if anyone likes it. But the only way I'll know if it's appreciated is through reviews... so...

PLEASE REVIEW. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Surprise everyone! I still don't (and never will) own Code Geass, nor am I profitting from this in any way. It's just an attempt to bring a little entertainment to the world. :) Now, on with the story!

Chapter Four: With Friends like These…

Charles was pleasantly surprised midmorning or so. Floating sweetly in the air outside the door to his cell, he distinctly heard music– soft, sweet, and beautiful. _Harp music,_ he thought to himself. _I don't know of any harpist who would be close enough to the royal family to be here though. Furthermore, I can't imagine a reason why any of my children who might've inherited the throne to want one…_

He crept closer and asked through the door, "Is someone there?"

"Yes, someone is," a muffled female voice replied. Naturally, he didn't recognize it.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"We aren't supposed to tell you our names," the girl replied in a quiet tone, almost apologetically.

"Are you a storyteller too then?"

"I am. I am also a harpist, though a bit out of practice, I'm afraid. I'm playing a few of my simpler melodies; I hope they meet with your approval."

"Do I detect false modesty?"

"No indeed, your highness; I am merely one struggling to offer the light of a little happiness in a dark and depressing world."

"If you would offer happiness, will you answer me one question?"

"What is it you wish to know, your majesty?"

"I wish to ask about… Marianne. Does she live?"

"Aye, your wife lives, and in as much comfort as you. You're both in the same predicament, but different buildings of the same prison area. Fear not for her, your highness, I can give you the word of an honest woman that she will not come to harm."

Charles's knees went weak at her words. For a single moment, he let down his guise of the strong emperor, and was instead a lovesick child. Tears fell silently from his face as he whispered, "Thank heaven she's okay."

Unseen by Charles, the musician smiled behind the door and started playing a love song on her harp. "I'll not torture you with my singing, which is far worse than my playing, but I think this song might bring you some comfort. I'll let you listen to it and others like it as I continue the story the others are telling you, if you'd like."

"Alright," said Charles, still shaken from hearing of his wife's wellbeing. "Tell me the next part…"

~~~~~Five Years Ago~~~~~

Suzaku didn't stop, didn't think, and certainly didn't hesitate. As soon as he reached Euphemia, he pulled her into a long kiss.

"Umm… ahem," said Lelouch.

"Better get used to that, big brother. David and Abigail are WAY worse," Rolo replied.

"Abigail?" asked C.C. and Lelouch.

As if on cue, a door opened, the same one Adrian had previously held shut.

"Is it time for me to come out now?" asked a hesitant voice. The others couldn't see the figure. "I thought it was earlier, but someone stopped the door."

"Please, come on out, my Love. I've been dying to show you off," said David with a warm smile.

Timid as a church mouse, a young lady, maybe nineteen or twenty years old, emerged from the room. She wore a plain, white dress with sleeves coming down to her elbows. It hung on her a little loosely, but not loosely enough to hide a couple of things. One, she had an impossibly slender waist for such ample breasts and hips. She was skinny, yet so outlandishly curvy… a beautiful hourglass shape models would have killed for. Her face was mostly hidden by her longish, dark-golden hair, which she wore down to just past her shoulders. She descended past the still kissing couple, hardly sparing them a glance and walked straight into David's waiting arms. Once she was there, she shared a smile full of dazzling white teeth and warmth. "Welcome home, David." Her voice was as smooth as melted chocolate and gentle as a spring breeze.

David brushed aside her hair, revealing her face, to the astonishment of Lelouch. She possessed a classical beauty, high cheekbones, a faint blush, long eyelashes, a small widow's peak, and a sharp, straight nose. Her lips looked like rose petals in full bloom. Her eyes truly dazzled more than any other feature though. Those deep teal orbs, just barely more green tinted than blue, but with golden splashes throughout absolutely demanded attention. His only complaint would be a few acne marks on her face, but no doubt those would fade with a little time.

"Wow…" said Lelouch quietly.

"One hour!" called Rolo.

"Two!" cried Shirely.

"What are you doing?" asked C.C.

"Two," called Rolo, pointing at C.C. While the Shirley rambled another number, he explained. "We're betting on how many hours it takes the two of you to fall in love with Abigail."

"What? I'm not gay!"

"No, no, not that kind of love, it's… well, it's hard to explain… It's an Abigail thing; you'll figure it out."

David gave the girl in his arms a quick kiss, then turned her to face them and said, "C.C., Lelouch… kissing couple on the stairwell, this is my wife, Abigail. C.C., you formerly met her as the Angel of Death."

Lelouch couldn't speak for a second, then shook his head and got over it. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Abigail; I'm Lelouch vi Britannia."

Warmth like the sun radiated from Abigail's eyes and smile. "It's wonderful to meet you too, Lelouch. And, of course, I'm delighted to see you again, C.C., and under more pleasant circumstances."

C.C. felt the tiniest twinge of jealousy; she'd caught Lelouch gaping at the girl earlier and didn't like how Rolo so casually stated that Lelouch was going to fall in love with her. "It's good to see you too," she said. No one else would've caught it, but Abigail heard the tiniest strain in her voice, and quickly wondered what she was upset about. She was acutely reminded that all eyes were on her, as if she'd made some grave misstep, and she took a step closer to her husband's arms.

"I'm sorry," the young woman said to C.C. "I didn't mean to… um…"

C.C. immediately realized the problem and sought a remedy. "No, it's nothing you did. I was just… remembering," she lied, rather unconvincingly.

Abigail seemed to buy it and took a breath of relief. "I see. Still, I'm sorry if I dredged up painful memories; it wasn't my intention."

C.C. realized it was impossible to stay angry at this girl. She meant no harm, and the look of love C.C. saw in her eyes when Abigail looked at David made it clear that she wouldn't be competing for Lelouch's attention. _Why exactly do I care about that?! _

Lelouch spoke up then, "I'm sure you didn't, milady, and I know C.C. won't hold it against you. She's really not as cold as she tries to let on." Lelouch shot C.C. a warm smile and any lingering jealousy in C.C.'s heart melted away. Even as she struggled to fight it, C.C. smiled back a little at Lelouch.

Abigail smiled in turn and said, "I figured as much. C.C., you're the smallest bit like my sister. The cold exterior is just a familiar protection mechanism to both of you. Speaking of which, where is little Rosaline?"

"She means the Ice Princess," muttered Rolo under his breath, which C.C. barely managed to hear. She stifled a chuckle.

"I'm here, big sister." If C.C.'s expression could be dubbed cold, then Rosaline's was somewhere below absolute zero. The young boy following behind her, now in normal clothes but wearing a ski mask over his face didn't help. For the first time, the others got a look at his eyes. They were a simple blue, nothing deep or mysterious, just plain blue. He wore dark blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

Rosaline's subzero face went a few degrees colder when she looked at David, but it disappeared as she returned her attention to Abigail.

"So I see the scouting party was a success?" she asked of her sister, completely ignoring David.

"Yes, the two of you have done very, very well," Abigail replied, seemingly oblivious to the tension.

The masked boy bowed at his head to Abigail, and again to David, then whispered something into Abigail's ear.

"Oh! Thank you, Mercy, I'd quite forgotten. David, can you finish the introductions without me, it seems I need to address something with this dear one and my little brother…"

David smiled and said, "Of course, you're both excused." Abigail gave her husband a peck on the cheek, then took the Mercy's hand as he escorted her up the stairs.

Just as the two were about to walk past them, Suzaku and Euphemia finally stopped kissing. "Forgive me, my princess, but I've been regretting that I never got to do that for so, so very long."

The princess's face was scarlet with embarrassment as she replied, "It's perfectly alright, Suzaku. I'm just glad to see that you're ok. When I heard my father had put you into custody…." Her voice trailed off.

"You have some very powerful friends. They broke me out and AHH!" Suzaku finally and suddenly noticed Abigail and the boy beside her. "Who are you?" he asked with a startled expression.

The masked child facepalmed while Abigail laughed lightheartedly. "I take it you're Suzaku? Euphemia never stops talking about you." Euphemia blushed again and sent her a pleading look as if to say, _Please, talk about something else!_ Taking pity on her, Abigail changed the subject, "My name is Abigail, or the Angel of Death. I'm David's wife and Adrian and Rosaline's older sister."

Suzaku looked a little shocked. "You're the Angel of Death? Um… that's… uh… odd…"

Numbers started flying about the room from different people's mouths as Abigail answered, "How strange, no one I've met here ever seems to believe that I equate myself with death. I guess it's the whole 'death should be a creepy old man in a cloak concept.'"

Suzaku shook his head and replied, "It's more of a 'since when is death a benevolent, beautiful woman' concept."

Abigail blushed and said, "Thank you for your kind words, but I'm really nothing all that special. I try my best to be kind, but while I hope I'm not ugly, I certainly don't consider myself beautiful."

The masked boy facepalmed again. "You're highly biased, Angel of Mercy," she told him sweetly. Blue eyes bored into teal ones with a _really, you must be joking_ expression. Abigail looked confused, but broke eye contact to look at Suzaku and said, "I really need to move along, I'm afraid I've forgotten something kind of important. Still, I'm very glad to have finally met you Suzaku. I have faith you'll treat the lady Euphemia well." She ended her statement with a warm smile as Suzaku started to blush. The masked boy and the strange beauty continued up the stairs as Suzaku escorted Euphemia down.

"Euphemia… it's… good to see you, sister," Lelouch said quietly. What do you say to the girl you turned into a mass murderer?

Euphemia wrapped him in a hug. "It's ok, brother. You're wholly forgiven. I understand it now. David and the others explained how you lost control of your geass. You never meant for… that… to happen. Still, can I beg that at least until we're certain it's no longer permanent, that you be so very, very careful what you say?"

He laughed nervously, but nodded his head in agreement.

Suzaku felt confused, not about the SAZ disaster's explanation. Lelouch had explained that much to him before the Zero requiem. What bothered him, was the strange overabundance of forgiveness in this one room. "Rolo, Euphemia, Shirley… all of them had some serious grudges to bear, yet they've all forgiven without a second thought. What exactly is causing that?" he wondered aloud.

Shirley laughed and replied, "That would be the Abigail effect."

"My wife has a heart I can't even pretend to understand or explain," said David. "She may not seem all that special, especially from the way Charles zi Britannia views power, but there is just as much power in Abigail's heart as there is in Charles's fist."

Rosaline begrudgingly nodded her head in agreement to David's claim.

"Like I said," replied Rolo, "it's an Abigail thing. If you spend much time with her at all, it's pretty hard to stay mad at people. No matter what you've done or who you are, Abigail is always constant, always loving, and always forgiving… unless you hurt someone she loves. Then she changes like a typhoon. A royal guard tried to attack me when I was doing surveillance for breaking out Suzaku and she killed him in seconds. It's amazing how quickly she can shift."

"Interesting, I wonder what could cause such a violent shift in personality… Still, I'll have to make a note to stay on her good side," said Lelouch. He meant to say it to himself, but Rolo answered anyway.

"No, big brother, it doesn't work like that. You're a Fallen Angel now, so you're one of the people she's chosen to care about, someone she'll gladly fight to protect. It's not really all that logical, but it's the way her mind works. You don't join the Fallen Angels unless she already likes you enough to recruit you. David may be the physical leader of this team, but Abigail easily has the biggest influence here."

"Well, I can't argue with her decisions so far," said C.C. looking at the few people they'd met.

"You've yet to meet the most controversial members," said David. "I was hoping to save meeting Euphemia as sort of an appeasement for after you met some of the others."

"They can't be that bad," said Suzaku.

"I'll call out one of them," said David, "just so you get the point. Remember, no attacking, and preferably no swearing. C.C., as a matter of kindness, I'm going to warn you that this may hit you harder than the others. If you want to leave now and meet this one later, it's perfectly acceptable."

"No," said C.C. firmly, "I'll stay." She grabbed Lelouch's hand for support.

"Very well," said David regretfully. "Shirley, go get him," he gestured to a door on the balcony. "And Rosaline, will you go tell Abigail to come out here again? We're going to need her influence." Rosaline sped off in her sister's direction. She and Abigail soon returned; the latter gestured for Shirley to open the door. Shirley bit her lip a little, then knocked on the door. Out stepped the person officially responsible for C.C.'s capture in that damned capsule: Clovis le Britannia.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" cried Lelouch.

"Clovis," gasped C.C.

"That bastard who ordered the Shinjiku massacre!" cried Suzaku.

Clovis ran back into his room and slammed the door behind him.

"That went well," sneered Rosaline, walking down the stairs and toward the ground level.

"Rosaline… please," groaned David. The tension between the in-laws could have been cut with a knife. "She is right though; you didn't handle that very well. Shirley, console him would you? You have a way with him. Tell him they'll be better behaved this time."

"Better behaved? That bastard tried to run unthinkable experiments on C.C., and killed thousands of Japanese!" said Lelouch angrily.

"He was under the influence of insanity, after encountering the Enemy. We've removed the effects of her contact with him. He's quite a different soul now," said David.

"You're trying to convince me that you've rehabilitated a murderer?" Suzaku replied indignantly. "Lelouch is right, you can't trust him!"

"STOP IT!" cried Rolo. He was shaking from trying to withhold his emotions. Finally, his cold visage returned as he choked, "I killed Shirley. In fact, I've directly killed far more people than Clovis, and done far crueler things. I no doubt would've killed even Nunnally, if I'd ever met her. Please, big brother… you gave me a second chance. Give him one too… or was it really all a lie to me again?"

"Oh, no," said Abigail, as she rushed down the remaining stairs and wrapped him in a hug. "It's just that they know you were trying to be a friend, Rolo. Yes, you have a bad past, but you've already proven you can overcome that. They know you are something more. They don't know that for sure about Clovis yet. They were just… a little taken aback." Abigail turned pleading eyes to the trio, who immediately backed up her words.

_So __**that**__ is the Abigail effect,_ thought Lelouch as he watched his brother's discomfort ease away. He had to admit, her kindness did leave a huge impression. It reminded him in a way of Nunnally's impact on people.

"Thank you, Abigail," Rolo replied at last with a weak smile.

Abigail gently patted his cheek, then turned toward the others and said, "Let's try this again, ok?"

The door opened quietly and Clovis again returned. He looked down at them all… and he couldn't find the words. Shirley took his arm and walked him down the stairs.

"I suppose I owe all of you an apology. I honestly don't know what to say. I was… out of my right mind. I was since… well, for as long as that **thing **decided to toy with me. I'm so very sorry for all that I commissioned concerning Shinjiku, and about your treatment, C.C. Oh, Lelouch… I still can hardly believe that you and Nunnally are still alive. I'm truly happy to know that you are both well… I'm sorry about Nunnally's capture, but I promise I'll do all that I can to get her out again. Our family lost something infinitely precious when the two of you were lost the first time. I don't intend to lose another sibling. C.C., I cannot apologize enough for all that I've done to you. The only comfort I take from your situation is that you were delivered from my hands. And Suzaku… I owe you a debt, for stopping the mindless carnage I started. I apologize for Shinjiku. I've spent the past several months here, learning firsthand just what exactly my orders meant. I was nothing less than a monster… To think… after everything I've done… I got a second chance at life… It's more than I ever deserved."

Part of Lelouch still hated him. So did part of Suzaku and C.C. Still, Lelouch couldn't help but admit some truth in David's earlier words.

"You truly do regret all that's been done, don't you Clovis? You never did have much of a poker face."

Clovis looked down sadly and said, "Right on both accounts, brother. I don't expect any forgiveness, not after everything I've done, but I hope you can at least learn to trust me enough to let me try to destroy the monster that turned me into a murderer and a villain."

C.C. slowly took his hand and shook it. "I both trust and forgive you, Clovis. Without doing all that you had, I would never have met Lelouch. To that end, I owe you my eternal gratitude."

Clovis smiled at her and said, "Thank you, C.C. That is far more than I hoped for. I hope that the others are as fortunate."

Suzaku and Lelouch both shook hands with him as well, but wisely held their tongues, not yet ready to forgive.

Shirley smiled and said, "Well, the worst is over now. I don't think any of the rest will cause half as much drama."

"That's true," said David. "You all have at least met the rest. They'll no doubt be in shortly. Cornelia and Schneizel are both outside trying to determine the best military strategies for taking down the Emperor; no doubt they'd appreciate your help, Lelouch, whenever you get a moment. Other than that, Nina's still holed up in her room using her old science connections to try and track down Lloyd and Cecile, both of whom we're desperately going to need if we want to go anywhere near Charles's army."

"Rolo, Shirley, Cornelia, Schneizel, Clovis, Mercy, the four original Fallen Angels, me, C.C., Suzaku, and Nina… so… there are 14 of us so far?" asked Lelouch. Their team wasn't too different in size than the original Black Knights… which unfortunately, was pitifully small compared to the Emperor's forces.

"Actually, there are two more," said Abigail. "Guilford and Kannon both accompanied your siblings out here and agreed to aid our cause as well," she explained.

Rolo changed the subject suddenly, "Oh, Abigail, didn't Mercy need your help with something?"

Just like that, the masked boy appeared, frantically waving his arms on the balcony.

"Um… yeah… David, we were wondering if you had a crowbar…" said Abigail, with as innocent a smile as possible.

"A what? Oh no, what has your brother done now?" demanded David.

"Well… as usual, it's a long story."

"Angel of Mercy?" called David. The masked boy on the balcony gave his complete attention. "What happened?" The boy shrugged. "Uh huh, where is Adrian?"

"Dear, you might not want to…"

"They need to get used to it, Abigail. Call him out here, Mercy."

Mercy shook his head.

"Why not?"

"He can't come out, David… He's… well… a bit pinned down at the moment."

"Explanation, please?" asked David.

"He's currently stuck in the elevator," Abigail explained. "And no, you don't want to know."

David swore under his breath. "Is there any chance we can get him back out of it?"

"Not without that crowbar," Abigail replied.

David looked up at Mercy and said, "Get Cornelia to help you, please; it's her turn to save him."

Mercy nodded and headed out of the room.

Rosaline looked at the newcomers and said cheerfully, "Welcome to the Fallen Angels."

"Is everyday this crazy?" asked Suzaku.

"Actually, no," said Abigail, to everyone's relief. Then she ruined it. "We toned it down for company."

~~~~~Present Day~~~~~

The musician finished her song and the words of her story at just the same time. Charles was smiling quietly in his cell, completely entranced by the spell of her music and her gentle voice.

"You are Abigail, aren't you?" he asked her quietly.

The musician replied sadly, "I am not. Tell me, what makes you think such a thing?"

"You have the same sort of gentle manner and caring heart that you described in Abigail during this story fragment."

"Well, I'm sorry to say it, but spoiler alert: Abigail dies in the end, as do several of the others."

Charles was shocked. Though he had no memory of meeting her, nor did he know very much about her, it was as if he were already in the sort of spell she wove. As Rolo would have said, the 'Abigail thing' had happened. To hear that she had died seemed… wrong, as if he'd lost some dear friend, which was ludicrous of course. Then his philosophies returned to his mind. The strong devour the weak. He thought of Abigail… then of Euphemia… and last of all Nunnally. _Survival of the fittest… is that really how it should be?_ Of course it was… and yet…

"I see," he replied. Half of him wanted to say that she deserved it for her weak heart. The other half wanted to apologize for her loss. What was happening to him?

"I need to go now," said the musician. "I'm going to play for your Marianne next. Shall I send her a message from you?"

"Yes," choked Charles. "Tell her I love her, and that I'm going to do whatever it takes to get us out of here."

The musician laughed, "You know, Charles. In spite of everything, I hope the two of you one day find a happily ever after."

"Will you come back to play again?" he asked.

"Another day, another day," she said in a sing-song voice. "Perhaps I am a fool, but still I trust your face."

"Of course," he laughed, as he listened to her footsteps as they echoed through the hall.

The girl smiled as she left him, thinking as she made her way toward Lady Marianne's cell. _He's making progress. I knew there was some hope left for him._

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Everyone: And here is a shorter chapter for your viewing pleasure. :) All my chapters seem to come out either shorter or longer than I want... oh well. This one at least served its purpose; it officailly introduced the last of my "non-evil" OCs. Of course, I saved Abigail for last for a reason: SHE'S FREAKIN' HARD TO WRITE! Seriously, if you all think you hate her, you have no idea how I feel trying to put her in this mess. She is a necessary evil though. Her purpose is more or less to act as the "glue" that holds everyone in this rag-tag team together, which means she's going to need inhuman patience (check), inhuman kindness (check), and the inhuman ability to kick butt (also, check). As the list shows, Abigail is an extremely complicated character. As sweet as she (I hope) came across in this chapter, under the right circumstances, she will turn into an absolute unholy terror, as you'll see in the future. To anyone thinking that she came across a little "too" sweet, almost irritatingly so, that's partly by design, and I do have a good reason for it, which you'll find out later on as well. I don't want her to be agonizing enough that she scares people away though, so let me know if she gets a little (or, more likely, a lot) too over-the-top. I'm sorry if the difficulty I have writing her showed through in the story. I'll endeavor to make it better. If it's any consolation, just remember: she's going to die! :D That's such a very happy thought, isn't it? Maybe it's only me who feels that way. :)

Oh, and to anyone who noticed how C.C. reacted to Lelouch paying attention to Abigail and is going to scream "Aha! A pairing!" HOLD YOUR HORSES! The only reason I had C.C. react as she did is because I believe, based on the last few episodes in particular of the anime, that C.C.'s feelings toward Lelouch are very complicated, but definitely involve a strong sense of attachment. As such, I don't think it would be at all unlikely for her to feel a little threatened if Lelouch were to start paying attention to another code-bearer. After all, they did agree to be each other's "accomplice." So long as we're discussing pairings, I'll throw this out there too: I am not at all certain I'm going to incorporate pairings into this story, or, if I am, which ones they will be. The only couples I know are going be incorporated are those who are already married (Charles and Marianne, David and Abigail) and Lloyd and Cecile (I'm throwing them together because they're a believable, awkward couple that should survive any experimental romantic notions I try to incorporate into the story). I **MIGHT** incorporate other pairings into the story, but that remains to be determined. Two huge factors that will play a role in that are: 1) the imput of my readers through reviews and 2) the direction I choose to shift the story. Sorry if anyone's disappointed, but this is first and formost an action-based Lelouch vs. Charles story, NOT a romantic "Lover A" and "Lover B" story. If you want a pairing, ask for one, and I'll see what I can do. Otherwise, don't get your hopes up.

If you all want anything to happen at all in this story, let me know and I'll see what I can do. This is the last of the "back story" chapters introducing the OCs, so from here, the action begins. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at battle scenes, so any tips or tricks you guys can throw my way would be much appreciated. You'll see the first "mini" battle next chapter, though it most likely won't be against the people you suspect (evil smirk). Also, on a more tragic note, my updates might start getting slower from this point on. One, college midterms are coming up, which means more time will be needed for me to study. Two, the part between now and the events leading up to the climax, will be the hardest for me to write. I know (or at least have a pretty good idea) how the story will end, now I just have to take us there... and I don't have a map. :(

Thank you all for dropping in. Remember, I'm writing this for the sake of your entertainment and pleasure, so make sure to leave me a review to tell me how I'm doing. I welcome all reviews from all people. The only reviews NOT appreciated by me are flames and those that bash my story and don't give me a reason why. If you want me to do better, then at least give me a pointer in the right direction. This is my first story, and constructive criticism is more than welcome! Believe me, I want to get better at this, so I'd be positively **thrilled** if you chose to help me. Feedback telling me what I'm doing right is also welcome. Like I said, this is my first fanfic, so encouragement to build up my confidence about what I'm doing is very much appreciated. :) To those of you who have reviewed, favorited, and/or followed me, THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH! :) You people are amazing. :D

AvianReader: First of all, thank you SOOOOO much for continuing to review my story. It means a lot to me, and you're really helping me out a bunch! :D You're awesome!

Anyway, I'm glad I portrayed your idea so well. I thought that was an absolutely terrific geass and fit Suzaku's character really well. Kudos to you for that. :) I do agree with you that I probably stretched it a bit when I mentioned that it could work with animals too, but I figured that since Lelouch is starting with a very small team here, relatively speaking, it might save me a lot of headaches in the future if Suzaku does not need a miniature entourage to make his geass work properly. My original ideas for Suzaku's geass were: slowing time (similar to Rolo's geass, but instead of seeming to halt time all together, it just slows it way down, like slow motion in a movie, Suzaku would still move at normal speed), sense of danger (similar to the effect Lelouch's command to "live" had on him, it would let him sense when he or others he cared about were in or approaching danger), and the ever boring astuteness of the senses (exactly what it sounds like, he'd be able to see, hear, etc. better than anyone else). If anyone sees any of these ideas that they like, feel free to take them, but do give me credit for them (except the last one, I'm sure anyone could've dreamed that up). Also, I reserve the right to use them in any of my future fics or in this one if I so choose.

Thanks for your input on C.C. I'll try to give her a little more feeling in that regard as the story moves on. :)

And I realized as I went back through that I never addressed your thoughts on Marianne last time, so I'll do that now. :) As you saw in this chapter, Marianne IS indeed alive. I won't divulge whether she's back in spirit or in the flesh to keep from spoiling this for you or other readers. I will say that she does have and is currently playing a BIG role for Charles's side of the five years ago story.

Back to everyone: I really do hope you're enjoying the story! If you are, please tell me. If you aren't, please tell me. In other words: please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Dun, dun, dun! I LIVE! :D Ok, seriously do I have to say it again?

Lelouch: Yes, you do.

Me: What the? When did you get here?

Lelouch: You abandoned the story, Vitalus. When you abandon the story, the characters get a little bit perturbed.

Me: SORRY! College has been horrible lately, and I still haven't finished finals just yet... T.T

Abigail: Lelouch! You made her cry.

Suzaku: Vitalus is a she? Doesn't sound like a very feminine name...

Rosaline: Idiot, that's not her real name! She'd never put that on the internet! It's just a Latin word. It means "life," or "to live."

Suzaku: Ah.

Abigail: Anyway, since the poor dear is now too upset to say it, I'll say it for her. Ahem: **Vitalus does NOT own Code Geass or the characters therein in any way, shape or form. She does own Rosaline, Adrian, David, and myself. She has not modeled us after any real people, so any similarities between us and the people down the street is just a coincidence.**

V.V.: Well, now that that's over with, let's get on with the story. It's been in hiatus way too long as it is in my opinion.

Everyone except V.V. and Vitalus: YOU'RE ALIVE?

V.V.: Duh, look at the main characters tab. Of course I'm going to show up in this story somewhere. I'm not here yet, but I'll be around in the future, and when I show up... (cackles evilly)

Me: Ok, that's enough, everyone back in the story now so we can get on with it!

Chapter Five: A (Not So) Happy Reunion

The day after the musician's visit, Charles still couldn't quite account for the enigma that Abigail had left with him. _Survival of the fittest… she certainly wasn't fit to survive. No one as mild-mannered as her deserves the right to live… That perfect world Marianne, V.V., and I dreamed of… I wonder how she would fare in it. She sounds like she might belong to a more perfect world. Certainly she never should've belonged in this hellhole. And what exactly is the story with the other "Fallen Angels?" Adrian is obviously a lunatic; his very existence is a cosmic disaster. I've no idea how in the hell he survived this madness. David and Rosaline are puzzling variables. I wonder what became of them?_

Figure one (Schneizel), figure two (Cornelia), and figure three (Guilford) interrupted his pondering as they each entered the small cell. Figure three/Guilford set a tray of food down on the table as Figure two/Cornelia set down a small handheld transceiver. Figure one/Schneizel sat down in the chair and said, "You seem deep in thought."

"It seems I have much to think about," Charles replied in an almost bored tone.

"I suppose that's true; still, our superiors seem to think you need to talk to someone whom you feel you can trust, hence the transceiver, one of three mind you. The devices only send and receive sounds at one particular frequency. Furthermore, the charge only lasts an hour after it is turned on, so we'll have to take it back at some point to charge it after you use it. Your wife, Marianne, has one of the accompanying radios. Our team has the other. You two are more than welcome to speak to each other, but know that we will be monitoring, so any plans of escape are futile," replied Figure three/Guilford.

The former Emperor stared at the radio as if it were a lifeline. "So today I have an hour to speak with my wife?"

"Yes, it seems the harpist believed that you two needed to talk for a little while. I cannot say what days or times you will be able to speak with her in the future. None of us present can make that call. We have storytellers talking to Marianne right now as well, and she should be expecting to talk to you between six and seven," replied Figure two/Cornelia.

Charles glanced at the clock, its figures suddenly taking on a new importance. It was only 2:30; nowhere near close to time for him to speak with his wife.

"We should finish the next segment of our story before your allotted time to speak with Marianne arrives," said Schneizel.

For once, the former Emperor almost welcomed the telling of the story, if only to help pass the time before he could speak with Marianne.

"I'm listening," he said as Figure one/Schneizel prepared to start the story…

~~~~Five Years Ago~~~~~

"Lelouch, this may be the best time for you to speak with Schneizel," said C.C. "Cornelia would be happy to slay you on sight, so it might be best to confront him while she's busy getting Adrian out of the elevator."

Lelouch looked skeptical, but Abigail coaxed, "You'll have to confront them sooner or later."

"Forgive me, Abigail, if I'm not exactly eager to see most of my family again. We've nothing left to say to each other, unless it's death threats."

"Is that so? Doesn't Cornelia deserve some closure about the circumstances of Euphemia's death? What of Schneizel? You used your geass to order him to follow Zero. Assuming he still identifies with you as that entity, he would blindly follow you into a volcano if you willed it. What each of you has to decide for yourselves now is who you perceive to be the greater enemy– each other or your father. None of you is going to be able to take him down alone, not this time. If you want to bring him down, you're going to have to work together," said David.

Euphemia smiled and said, "I'm sure we all can pull together. It'll be like when we were all younger. We can actually be a family again!"

Suzaku tried desperately to smile at her in encouragement, but he had sincere doubts that it would be that simple.

Lelouch had his doubts as well, but conceded that C.C. was probably right. It would be for the best if he would inform Schneizel of his presence before Cornelia. If nothing else, Schneizel might help to avert some of Cornelia's wrath, though he'd rather have someone else in particular on his side when he saw Cornelia again.

As if reading his thoughts, Euphemia replied, "I'm going to go try and help my sister get Adrian out of the elevator. I'll stay close to her, so I can watch the reunion."

Lelouch smiled and replied, "Thank you, Euphemia."

"Don't thank me yet, brother," Euphemia called over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs. "I can make her ease up, but I doubt I'll be able to stop her completely."

"She a better chance than anyone else," said Shirley thoughtfully.

"Indeed," Rolo replied. "Has anyone told Cornelia the truth about what really happened that day Euphemia died?"

"I did," said David, "but I don't think it helped much. She only proceeded to further hate geasses and all who bear them. To some extent, she's even hostile to me, Abigail, Adrian, Rosaline, and Mercy. I doubt she's going to be happy to see you or your accomplice again, Lelouch."

"Of course she isn't. Well, I can't say she doesn't have reason to hate me, or geass in general," Lelouch replied.

"Rosaline, would you and Abigail lead Lelouch and Suzaku outside to speak with Schneizel? There is something I'd like to discuss with C.C. in private," David asked.

Rosaline gave him a glare, but stopped when Abigail softly said, "Please, Rosaline, not now." Rosaline's expression returned to normal (otherwise known as arctic cold) and she helped Abigail escort the two boys through the mansion and toward the back yard.

Suzaku, being the generally outgoing boy that he was, tried to start a conversation with Rosaline. "So, Rosaline, we've met David and C.C. told us a little about Abigail. Can you tell us anything about yourself?"

"I love my siblings, hate the Enemy, and generally don't give a crap about the rest of the world. I find idle chatter incredibly annoying and my greatest delight is to break the bones of people who annoy me. Are you going to continue to push this topic?" she asked with a look of boredom on her face.

Suzaku wisely kept his mouth shut. Lelouch shuddered at the thinly veiled threat.

"Sister, if you can't say something nice…" said Abigail.

"I won't say anything at all, just so long as he stops trying to make me talk."

The rest of their walk passed in deadly silence until Rosaline left the three outside the back door. In the distance, the boys could see Schneizel gazing down at a series of papers on a picnic table, his face set in a stubborn frown as he concentrated.

Before the two approached him, Abigail held them back and said, "I am truly sorry for my little sister. If I knew anyway to make her behave I would, but I'm afraid she's far more stubborn than I."

Suzaku shook his head and replied, "Abigail, if you, the klutz trapped in an elevator right now, and the demon who escorted us here are siblings, then I am the next in line for the throne."

"I'm not entirely sure I know what you're talking about, but Adrian and Rosaline are every bit my siblings. I know we don't really look or act alike, but I swear it's so."

"Then how are the three of you so radically different?" asked Lelouch.

"Well, as you know, my family and I all have codes. Thus, we've all lived for centuries. We were actually born during the Dark Ages. As such, my siblings and I had very hard lives. By the time I was eight, the three of us were the last of our family. We each responded to our hardships very differently, which eventually proved for the best. I learned to trust in others and show kindness to the less fortunate, like ourselves. Adrian learned to laugh in the face of trouble and give back twice as good as he received from fate. Rosaline turned bitter from all her loss, believing the world to be a callous and shallow place that abandoned the three of us to die. She was stubborn as heck though, and fought back against the injustices done to us with a passion. She refused to let this world take us down without a fight. So you see, even though we are all siblings, we each took on another familial role as well, one that now defines part of our individual personalities. Adrian is a fun-loving clown. Rosaline is a fierce-hearted guardian. And I am a meek-spirited matriarch. Don't worry too much about my sister. She'll take a while to warm up to you, but, eventually, she'll stop taking offense so easily, and just treat you with cold detachment. That's essentially her way of saying, 'I accept you.'"

"Somehow, 'cold detachment' doesn't quite seem to describe the relationship she has with David," said Lelouch, having detected a barely hidden animosity between the two.

"That's… a long story. I'll explain it later; right now, you should really talk to Schneizel." She gave the two a gentle push in the right direction and watched from a distance as Lelouch and Suzaku approached the second prince.

Detecting someone watching him, Schneizel looked up and watched the boys approaching him. Immediately, red rings appeared around his eyes as he asked, "What are your orders, Zero?"

Lelouch looked slightly taken aback, while Suzaku asked, "Is he talking to you, or to me?"

"Whichever of us he perceives as Zero," Lelouch replied. "Have you ever revealed your identity to him?"

"No, I haven't," Suzaku replied.

"Then he's probably talking to me," said Lelouch. "That should be easy to fix though." He turned to look at Schneizel, who was still gazing at him expectantly. "Alright, second prince, you know me as Zero, and therefore you must do what I order."

"Of course," Schneizel replied.

"Very good, now, I order you to behave for the rest of your life exactly as you would of your own accord. I order you to be free of your loyalty to Zero."

The red rings around Schneizel's eyes flickered, then went out entirely. The second prince smirked in amusement. "Fascinating strategy Lelouch. You forced your geass to cancel itself out."

Suzaku looked at Lelouch in confusion. "Can you explain what exactly just happened?"

"Lelouch used his geass after the battle at the Democles to force me to obey Zero. Since I knew Lelouch was Zero, that forced me to obey his orders as well as whoever might succeed him. However, by directly ordering me to be free of Zero's orders just now, he created a conflict, which canceled out the geass."

"So you have your memories of the event?" asked a new voice approaching the table.

"Indeed, Kannon. I can't say I find fault in Lelouch's strategy. His plan for the future served the world well until my father returned," Schneizel replied to his aide.

"I'm glad someone in this family besides myself can see reason," said Lelouch. "Unfortunately, as you said, Father has indeed returned and destroyed the peace I brought to the world. He seems to have captured Nunnally as well, and bent her to his will."

"Not exactly," replied Kannon. "Before their royal highnesses, Guilford, and I departed, I observed something very peculiar. As we prepared to flee, Schneizel ordered me to try and retrieve Nunnally. When I reached her room, however, I saw both Charles and… well… a woman who I'd swear to be the Lady Marianne arguing with her in her chambers. Nunnally shouted that she refused to go along with their plan, whatever it was. Charles sighed in disappointment and Marianne used a geass on her. Afterwards, Marianne fell to the ground and Nunnally looked up at the Emperor, her eyes rimmed red, and said, 'I think this will cause far less trouble.' I know her highness is supposedly dead, but I'd swear on my mother's grave that the woman I saw was indeed the Lady Marianne!"

Suzaku and Lelouch looked starkly troubled.

Schneizel looked at Lelouch and replied, "Lelouch, I know that the Empress is your mother, but in this endeavor, she might well be our enemy. She is loyal above all to our father; you know that."

Lelouch fought to keep a straight face. Schneizel was completely unaware of the occurrences within the Sword of Akasha, and therefore did not know that Lelouch already viewed Marianne as an enemy. Suzaku deduced this as well, and proceeded to explain to Schneizel and Kannon the entire fiasco.

Schneizel lifted his brow in interest. "So, they claimed they could use the device to raise the dead. I wonder if that has anything to do with the reason they're back now. If so, they may also be able to raise other powerful allies to their cause…"

"It's possible," said Lelouch, "but I don't think it's very likely. To hear them speak, they required two code-bearers to put their plan into action. Whoever this enemy of the Fallen Angels is bears one code. The code Charles bore passed to me. Without it, they don't have the other code they need to make it work. At any rate, the knowledge that my mother survived hardly surprises me. If anything, I suspected it must be so after Father showed up again. It only stood to logic that if they both supposedly died together, they could return together."

Suzaku looked at Lelouch and said, "Remind me again why exactly was Orange loyal to you?"

"Because I was the son of Marianne; he believed that by obeying me, he was honoring her memory. Now that she has returned in the flesh, and they have captured her daughter, Nunnally, his allegiance will most likely shift."

"That's exactly what I was afraid of," Suzaku replied.

"So Father has gained at least two new, powerful allies, and we gained have an ace pilot and the most reviled man on the planet," said Schneizel.

As if to prove his point, an enraged, feminine voice cried out from behind them all, "LELOUCH!"

The men turned look behind them just as Cornelia pulled a gun, pointed it directly at her younger brother, and fired. Lelouch took the bullet and fell to the ground, cursing loudly at the pain.

"Cornelia, no!" Euphemia cried. "Please, no shooting, he's on our side."

"That bastard killed you, Euphie; I'll be damned if I let him live."

"You're going to have to get over it, sister," groaned Lelouch as he weakly tried to pick himself up. Unfortunately, his regeneration speed was far too slow for him to move much yet.

"It would appear our brother is immortal now, Cornelia. There is not much we can do, no matter how much we despise him," Schneizel replied.

Cornelia didn't seem to hear him as she readied her pistol for another shot. Abigail covered the weapon with her hand and stared straight into Cornelia's soul as she said, "Cornelia, please, listen to me. Do not harm any of the Fallen Angels; that is the agreement you made when we agreed to shelter you here and help you to resist your father. Now, I beg you, honor your agreement and put away your weapon before I have to do something we'll both regret." All of the gentleness of the world flowed in her voice as she spoke and her eyes would have tugged emotion out of all but the coldest heart.

Cornelia was not the type to be moved by pleas or entreaties though, and she pulled the trigger despite Abigail's hand still blocking the exit. Though the hammer clicked, the round did not deploy and Cornelia looked at it in disbelief.

Adrian, who'd followed the royal sisters outside, now warned Cornelia in a deadly serious voice, "You are threatening my sister, li Britannia." He growled as the geass symbol glowed in his eyes, revealing the reason for the gun's failure to deploy. "I don't care if she is immortal or not; if any harm comes to her, you will have the wrath of all the Fallen Angels rain down upon you. Put the gun away now, or I'll put it away for you. Do I make myself clear?"

Cornelia didn't look happy, but to everyone's relief, she holstered the gun.

Abigail turned to her brother with a radiant smile as she said, "Thank you, Adrian."

"No problem, it's a shame I didn't know she was going to pull it earlier, or else I'd have stopped Lelouch from getting shot as well."

Lelouch finally managed to stand as he muttered, "No permanent harm done."

Adrian smiled. "So long as you all are in the mood to fight, might I suggest we gather in the battle arena? Lelouch and Suzaku would probably appreciate knowing what we have to work with anyway."

"Battle arena?" asked Suzaku in confusion.

"More accurately a converted storage room of sorts," explained Schneizel as he led the two toward what appeared to be a cellar. Schneizel opened the wooden door and led the way down the dark steps until the group arrived at a relatively large, underground room. In the middle of the room rested a table with a large computer monitor and several wires and headwear devices on it. Nearby sat two chairs.

"Apparently, this area used to be a storage space for all of the medicine and spare equipment the hospital needed," Kannon explained. "Before we got here, David and the others moved all of the drugs and other supplies out."

"Whatever supplies we manage to get in the future should hopefully either fit down here or else at a much larger storage area we've essentially taken over a few blocks from here. We're storing the four Knightmare frames we have at our disposal there. One of them is Cornelia's customized Gloucester. The others are standard Gareth frames. It's not much to work with, but we're hoping with Nina's help we can track down Lloyd Asplund and Cecile Croomy before Charles can and use their connections to get us some more machinery. We are trying to track down Rakshata as well, but frankly, we don't have a clue how to track her," Abigail explained.

"How are you trying to track Lloyd?" asked Suzaku.

"The same way we tracked C.C." Adrian replied with a smirk. "We are tracking the little things he can't live without. In C.C.'s case, it was pizza. In Lloyd's, we're trying to figure out where the largest intake of pudding and Knightmare parts are."

"I might suggest adding asprin to that list," said Suzaku. "Lloyd produced so many headaches that Cecile popped those pills like a toddler would candy."

"Good to know," said Adrian. "Now, to explain why we call this the battle arena," he continued as he gestured toward the computer. "Nina helped us put that together. Once you hook everything up, the computer starts a simulation of an actual Knightmare battle. Any individual hooked up to the machine will see and react to an imaginary battle happening around them. Each person is put under an induced sleep until the simulation ends either in failure or success, so that they can be completely attuned to their simulated battle. Only two people can "fight" at a time, but the computer screen displays what is being viewed through the simulation. That way the rest of us can watch what's going on from their perspective. Nina's programmed dozens of scenarios into the mainframe. Currently, the only ones featured involve piloting either a Gareth, Cornelia's Gloucester, or one other particular frame that we hope to be receiving soon."

"What is the other frame?" asked Lelouch, hoping against hope that there would be something more useful than the standard issue Gareths.

"That would be the Seigfried," Cornelia answered with a scowl, "V.V.'s old abomination."

"How would we be getting that?" Lelouch asked in astonishment.

Abigail answered, "I don't know how much, if anything, C.C. told you about meeting me, but when we first encountered each other it was in the disaster zone formerly known as the Geass Directorate. I managed to recover the blueprints to the Seigfried from among the wreckage. Nina is using some of her old connections to build us a model, but it may not be ready for another three months."

"Now," said Adrian as he led the group to the machine. "For starters, let's acquaint the newcomers with the skill base we have. I believe we all have a pretty good idea what Cornelia can do in her frame. Suzaku is an ace, so we expect him to excel. Lelouch… well, thanks to your actions as Zero, we have a pretty good idea of all you can and can't do. Of course, we expect the two of you without your personal frames to fall behind a little, but that can't be helped for the time being. Now, what you two newcomers **don't** know, is how well Schneizel or I perform. To that end, Schneizel and I will be the ones undergoing the simulation."

"Wait a moment, what about Abigail or Kannon?" asked Lelouch.

Kannon shook his head as he explained, "I have no experience whatsoever with Knightmare frames. I have been practicing on the simulator, but thus far, all the simulations have ended in a disaster."

Adrian looked at Lelouch and said, "I've done a bit of research on the capabilities of your Black Knights. Are you familiar with Tamaki's level of skill in a Knightmare?"

"Yes, and it's mediocre at best," he replied.

"My performance rating is currently two percent above his," Kannon explained.

"Enough said," replied Lelouch.

"And Abigail?" asked Suzaku.

"The simulator doesn't like me," said Abigail quietly. "And the feeling is mutual. My performance rating is almost ten percent worse than Tamaki's, but… well, will someone better with computer terms help me out here?"

Euphemia laughed and filled in, "Well, basically the computer scenarios are designed to be high-intensity battle situations. Unfortunately, Abigail isn't the militaristic type, at least not in most circumstances. So instead of fighting, she takes avenues the computer isn't designed to manage. It doesn't know how to react when she does little things like jumping out of her knightmare or somehow completing the objective on foot and without killing anyone."

Lelouch chuckled, "I have a strange desire to see that."

"You're probably not going to," Euphemia replied. "Every time Abigail climbs into the simulator, Nina has to spend hours reprogramming the poor computer after Abigail's done wrecking about taking options that shouldn't be possible and basically cheating the system. Basically, unless Nina has the hours to spend reworking the darned thing, Abigail is forbidden to touch the machine."

Abigail looked at the computer distrustfully and murmured, "Evil creature."

"It's not alive, Abigail. It's not a 'creature,' and it definitely can't hurt you." Kannon assured her as Adrian and Schneizel strapped themselves into the machine.

"Maybe not, but I swear it has feelings, and I have apparently made it very, very angry. In fact, I think I'm going to go to the surface. I don't want to be anywhere near that creature so long as the simulation is occurring."

Abigail left the battle arena, and walked back into the house. She wanted to have a word alone with Mercy anyway. She knocked quietly on his door, and the boy came and opened it. He immediately escorted the beautiful woman inside.

After he'd closed the door behind them, he asked, "Is there anyone else coming?"

"No, it's only me," Abigail replied.

"Good," he said, taking off his helmet and shaking his head slightly. "This thing gets really hot. I almost feel sorry for Zero."

Abigail chuckled, "Speaking of Lelouch, I just came from the reunion between all four of the royal siblings we now have on our side. It didn't go well."

"I figured when I heard the gunshots; Lelouch geassing Schneizel may cause severe problems in the future as well, especially if it's true that they have Jeremiah on their side."

"I know, which is partly why I'm here. How is your homework coming?"

"I'm very close to completing the device; Nightmare, however, is another story. I fear the enemy might complete it before we do. So much of the old research is missing, and I'm certain that it wasn't all destroyed."

"You may be right. I don't like that they have any of that research. Nightmare is just one possible branch it could be used for. Goodness only knows what other horrors might come from it."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Mercy replied. "The Emperor is an intelligent man, but he was never a scientist, and thinking outside-the-box was never his area of expertise. He and V.V. were the only ones there who would've been able to understand the data. Fortunately for everyone, the latter is dead."

"Are you certain you're going to be okay fighting the Emperor, little one? Following him and Britannia is all you've ever known."

"Don't worry; I'll be fine. Besides, in my opinion, I'm still supporting Britannia. Those four royal idiots downstairs are going to need all the help they can get. So long as they don't figure out who's hiding behind my mask… everything should be fine."

"My sister is starting to wonder about your identity as well. Of course, she wouldn't know you from Adam, but nonetheless, if she talks to the others she might start to put the puzzle pieces together."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll have to be more careful around her. Just for the record, she's a bigger pain-in-the-backside than your incompetent brother."

"In her own way, yes she certainly is. I am sorry about reducing you to guard duty for the time being."

"Don't be. You said it yourself; I need something to protect. Besides, with circumstances being what they are, I can't do much else, at least, not to their knowledge."

"How did C.C. take your news?" asked Abigail.

"Better than I thought she would, but then again, I've never been able to predict her actions or reactions very well. I think she will keep our secret for now, but she's grown incredibly close to Lelouch. If he questions her directly, it's possible she'll reveal what she knows."

"Let's hope she stays quiet for at least a little while. Ultimately, you might have to reveal yourself in the long run, but I'm hoping we can avoid that at least until the commotion of Lelouch joining dies down."

"I hope so too. They're not going to take it well."

"Don't worry, dear one. David, Adrian, and I will make sure no ill befalls you, and I don't think that Rosaline would allow anyone save herself to cause you misery."

The two chuckled at that thought and Mercy gestured for Abigail to come and inspect his work.

"You've done very well," Abigail said, peering over the notes. "I just hope it's enough to save my sister."

"I made you a promise, Abigail," Mercy replied. "A life for a life, I'm not going let Rosaline fall again, you have my word."

~~~~~Present Day~~~~~

Schneizel turned to look at the clock. "Ten minutes until six; this story took longer than I thought. I'd expected to tell you about Schneizel and Adrian's simulation, but I suppose that will have to wait until tomorrow."

The three mysterious figures turned to leave and Guilford told the Emperor, "We will continue. Another day, another day, perhaps I am the fool, but still I trust your face."

"Are any of you ever going to tell me what that means and why you keep saying it?" Charles asked.

"No fair skipping the pages of a book, your highness. The phrase is a part of our story, one you will hopefully understand in time," Guilford replied.

The three made their departure, and Charles took up the transceiver and watched the clock anxiously. The moment the sixth hour arrived, Charles spoke into the device. "Marianne? Marianne, can you hear me?"

Mere seconds felt like eternity as he waited for her reply. At long last, he heard her voice, "I hear you, Charles. I'm here…"

**Author's Notes:**

Me: Ok, so yeah, I'm back from dead, much like Clovis, Charles, Marianne, V.V., and company. I am SO, SO, SO VERY SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. T.T Seriously, college has been _**E-V-I-L**_. I'm in a very tough med-school, so yeah, use your imagination. I have not and will not abandon this story, I promise! Especially once long anticipated summer vacation arrives, I shall return to a more regular update schedule... I hope. Anyway, I only did a quick proofread of this because I figured, "You know, at this point, it's probably for the best if I just get SOMETHING up, no matter if it's perfect or not." Hopefully it's not too terrible. I remind you that this is my very first fanfic, so sorry if it sucks. I know I promised a battle scene this chapter, but this was getting really long, so I decided to postpone it a little bit, but the action is coming, I swear! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, rocky road that it was. As I've mentioned before I HATE ABIGAIL! Writing her is going to be the bane of my existence in this story...

Abigail: I'm sorry; what'd I do to you?

Me: Ok, let me rephrase this. I don't hate you personally; I hate how hard it is for me to write you. You're an extremely difficult character to put in this mess. Your close friendship with the White Knight may also do some serious damage to both your own and his character, but hopefully I will be able to keep it together.

Lelouch: Speaking of which, what exactly were Abigail and the White Knight talking about at the end there?

C.C.: You don't want to know. That's what David dragged me off to discuss. It's going to be a huge part of the story later, but right now, it's just in development.

White Knight: It's really dangerous and cool stuff. Even though we're so hopelessly outmanned and outgunned right now, if I can finish some of the research, it should help tip the balance to be a little more fair.

Charles: Ok, that's the first time I've heard you talk. You're the third figure who was in the room in the first chapter, weren't you? The one that's been bothering me the most?

White Knight: Yep, that'd be me. As Vitalus has said a couple of times, I'm not an OC. You've met me before, but you most likely won't figure out exactly who I am for a few chapters yet.

Me: Maybe, maybe not. There are now four characters who know your identity: David, Abigial, Adrian, and C.C.. I am trying to keep your identity a secret from the general readers, but I feel like I've been dropping hints left, right, and sideways about who you are beneath the mask.

Euphie: Easy, Vitalus, it's your first story, we understand if you make a few mistakes. Hopefully, you'll learn from them and do better the next time.

V.V.: Yeah, I heard a rumor you were actually considering scrapping this and completely redoing it later.

Me: That is a possibility. I'm still learning how to portray a lot of you guys in character. I haven't even gotten to you yet, though I'm dreading it. You were one of my favorite characters in the anime, and you got maybe 15 minutes of screen time. Therefore, I really want to do your character justice, but I'm afraid the people who actually own you didn't give me much to work with. Anyway, if people start noticing that my character portrayals are getting a lot better as I move on, I might redo some of the earlier chapters to try and get the characters more true to themselves, but that remains to be seen. I really appreciate people like AvianReader who point out little things I can do to get the characters better.

V.V.: You know, I did have a bit more of a role in the manga. You might try reading it.

Me: I repeat. I AM IN MED-SCHOOL. I don't have time for that. I will fail my classes if I try.

Lelouch: C'mon it can't be that bad.

Me: I'm not a ****ing super genius like you, Lelouch, much as I might wish otherwise. (Sudden evil smirk) Hey, can you possibly help me with my anatomy?

Lelouch: gotta get back in the story! (dives through computer screen)

Rest of the ensemble: Us too! (follow behind Lelouch)

Me: JERKS! Oh well, while they're gone I'll address my readers again.

BlackCarson) Really? You're name translates to Fallen Angel? That is SOOOO COOL! :D I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Sorry it took so long to post.

AvianReader) Like I told V.V. up there, I really appreciate your reviews and attempts to help me keep everyone in character. You rock! :D Seriously, thanks for helping me out here. :)

I'm glad you think I'm doing better with the OC's. In reference to your comment on Abigail, she IS technically aware of the impact she has on people, but she sort of refuses to acknowledge it, even to herself... I don't know how to explain this without giving away too much of her story, but I'll try. If you recall, David once mentioned that he and Abigail are extremely overpowered and have a variety of ways to keep themselves from becoming corrupted over their power. One of Abigail's self-imposed rules is that she basically forces herself not to believe she impacts people as she does. Her geass in particular could be absolutely devastating in combination with her character if she were to lose control. I'm sorry if that just left you more confused; I tried.

Now, concerning C.C. ACK! She's tricky. I don't think she's as tricky as Abigail, but she certainly makes a close second. Chapter three didn't have her emotional enough and chapter four had her too emotional. It's hard to get the right balance, but I'm gonna keep trying til I get it right, darn it!

On to Suzaku, I am NOT overly familiar with a lot of Japanese customs, so THANK YOU for pointing out that bit about emotions. I'll remember that in the future. There is a very strong possibility that I'll redo chapter 4 in the future to fix some of the glaring problems I made in that chapter, but I want to wait until I hopefully get a lot better at this, so I don't just hate the redo several chapters in the future.

Thanks also for pointing out that the storytellers didn't seem to be matching up with their story. I'll try and be better about that in the future. To be 100% honest, that didn't even dawn on me. I consider Charles one of the easier characters to write (that may well change once the story starts to impact him a little more. Right now, he's hearing what people besides himself are doing. Once his side becomes more involved... well, hopefully I'll continue being able to peg him correctly.) Anyway, since Charles isn't as challenging as some of the others (glares at Abigail), I hadn't really been focusing as much on the present day scenes as I probably should have. Thanks for letting me know, I'll be more attentive in the future.

Skyo-Soldier963) Hello and thank you very much for reviewing! :D Now, to address your concern, I did not explicitly say that Jeremiah had been geassed. The note says that he was **possibly** geassed. Rosaline and the other Fallen Angels may have existed for centuries, but they haven't interracted very much with the wide world during their existence. Thus, as I sort of implied when Abigail was talking about the computer, there are a lot of things about modern technology they do not understand. One of the big things that it is unlikely they would grasp is the concept of the geass-canceller. The only one who could possibly have the ability to know what exactly it was is Abigail because of her (brief) interaction with V.V. Somehow, I don't think it crossed his mind as he was dying though to say, "Oh yeah, by the way, there's this nifty device I programmed into some loser's eye that will totally cancel out your geass." Even if he did tell her something along those lines, it's not likely she would have completely understood.

So, in other words, he is most likely not geassed, though, as PearlM21 mentioned, David, Abigail, and "unknown evil" have very different geasses than anything the show ever implied, so I'm not going to come out and say it's impossible. I don't think that it would be **necessary** to geass him though. Jeremiah was unswervingly loyal to Marianne, NOT Lelouch. He was loyal to Lelouch by extention only. If he had not been the son of Marianne, he would've gladly killed the boy. Lelouch was VERY lucky. Now that Marianne has surfaced though, the odds of him following Lelouch instead of his mother are slim to nil. I hope that cleared up your concern. Thanks again for reviewing. :)

PearlM21) YAY! ANOTHER REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW! :D Seriously, you're too kind. :) Thank you so very much for your support and especially for your review. I'm new here, so I need all the feedback I can get. :) If you like stories where all of the characters come back together, sit down and buckle up, this is your story. Most if not all of the Britannia family members are eventually going to wind up thrown into this desperate struggle and, whether they like it or not, they're going to have to work together. That leads me up to your comment on Lelouch. He has indeed done a LOT to tick people off, especially those within his own family. Now, the problem is, Lelouch is pretty darned stubborn. He spent eight years still trying to answer one question about his mother's demise AND trying to destroy Britannia. Thus, I don't picture him apologizing as easily as Clovis did. Clovis in the anime was a violent contratiction in my opinion. The man loved the arts, parties, and frilly things... Hardly a fighter... yet he ordered a total genocide without a second thought. That is why I chose to put him under the control of my "evil OC" for his dastardly act. Once he was free from her influence, I can easily picture him apologizing to Lelouch. Lelouch is going to need some time before he apologizes to Clovis or most of the others though. Lelouch REALLY likes to hold grudges: note his mother, (whom he immediately sacrificed to die after he originally fought to avenge her death), his father (whom he refused to listen to even after Charles explained his reason for sending Lelouch and his sister to Japan), Rolo (despite his every act of loyalty, Lelouch was so mad at Rolo's one mistake [large though it was] that he basically committed genocide against all other geass users), and I'm sure there are others, but those are the "big three" coming to mind. That's not to say that Lelouch won't eventually ease up (after all, he did with Suzaku), but it's probably not going to be anytime soon.

Everyone) Ok, so hopefully you didn't mind that the characters and I had a little chat earlier (remember, I'm new, so I'm trying out a couple of things.) Also, hopefully you guys liked this chapter. If I did anything right, let me know! If I did anything wrong, let me know! Please no flames though. :( I accept constructive criticism gladly (just look at AvianReader's and Skyo-Soldier's reviews), but don't bash me for no good reason. I'm really doing my best, and I want to get better. Therefore, I need encouragement, not hate-mail. Anyway, I'm done ranting for now.

PRETTY, PRETTY, PLEASE Review. :)


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